Celebrating 15 Years of Commitment to Justice
The Center for Heirs’ Property® (CHP) celebrated a milestone on September 17, 2026, as supporters, partners, community leaders, landowners, staff, and friends gathered at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston for the 15th Annual Danielle Hope Watson Commitment to Justice Award Reception.
This year’s reception honored Anton J. Gunn, a nationally recognized leader, culture expert, former public servant, and advocate whose career has spanned government, healthcare, executive leadership, and public service.
But the evening was about more than recognizing one individual. It was a celebration of justice, legacy, family land, and the people who made CHP’s work possible.
Through personal stories, reflections on leadership, and a call to continue investing in families and communities, the evening demonstrated the many ways that CHP helps families protect what matters most: the land under their feet and the roof over their heads.
An Evening Rooted in Mission
CHP CEO Dr. Jennie L. Stephens, Chief Partnerships Officer Brett Wadford, and Board Chair Jim Myrick, esq. helped reinforce the significance of the evening and the role supporters play in moving CHP’s mission forward. But some of the night’s most powerful messages came through personal stories about what land, legacy, and justice truly mean.
CHP landowner Angela Singleton shared her family’s experience with 12.2 acres in the historic Ten Mile community of Awendaw. She spoke about the memories tied to the land, the challenges her family faced in securing clear title, and how CHP helped them navigate ownership questions while also exploring ways to care for and make productive use of their land.
“When I talk about land tonight, I’m not talking about something abstract. I’m talking about home.” – Angela Singleton
Former South Carolina legislator and leadership strategist and keynote speaker Mia McLeod brought a deeply personal perspective to the evening, shaped by a career spanning public service, advocacy, communications, and state government. A University of South Carolina and USC School of Law graduate, McLeod served six years in the South Carolina House of Representatives before serving in the State Senate. Her career has also included work with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the State Office, the State Office of Victim Assistance, and other public and community organizations.
McLeod’s own public service career has been marked by historic firsts. After succeeding Anton J. Gunn in South Carolina House District 79, she made history as the first woman and first African American to represent South Carolina Senate District 22and later as the first Black woman to run for governor of South Carolina. That shared history of public service and trailblazing leadership gave McLeod a uniquely personal perspective as she reflected on Gunn’s impact -and on the courage, responsibility, and commitment to justice that leadership requires.
She expanded that message with a compelling reflection on justice, courage, leadership, and legacy. She challenged guests to consider justice not only as an idea, but as the ability to protect what is rightfully ours—our land, homes, opportunities, dignity, and the ability to leave something meaningful for future generations.
McLeod also issued a call to action: protecting family land takes more than good intentions. It takes legal knowledge, education, forestry and financial expertise, patience, partnerships, and continued investment in the work.
That message was especially fitting as CHP honored Anton J. Gunn with the 2026 Danielle Hope Watson Commitment to Justice Award. McLeod reflected on Gunn’s years of leadership and service, reminding guests that legacy is not defined by titles, but by the lives we touch, the doors we open, and the opportunities we create for others.
Together, the voices shared throughout the evening told one story: justice means helping families protect what generations before them worked to build—and ensuring they have the opportunity to pass it forward.
Turning Commitment into Impact
Together, this year’s Commitment to Justice Award Reception raised $60,550 to help fuel CHP’s work with families and landowners.
Those dollars help make it possible for CHP to continue working alongside families as they navigate heirs’ property challenges, secure ownership rights, protect their land and legacy, strengthen working lands, and create opportunities for generations to come.
The evening was also a reminder that this work takes time. Families may come to CHP facing complicated legal and ownership questions that developed over generations. There is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution. CHP works with families through those complexities because protecting family land is more than resolving an issue today—it is about helping families build a stronger foundation for tomorrow.
Thank You for Standing With CHP
For 15 years, the Commitment to Justice Award Reception has brought people together around a shared belief in justice, service, and the power of protecting what families have worked generations to build. Name in 2022 for Danielle Hope Watson, a community engagement advocate and attorney whose commitment to the landowners we support was unwavering – the award honors members of the community who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to justice, advocate for the rights of others, and work to protect family land, preserve legacies, and strengthen communities.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsors, donors, attendees, partners, board members, staff, volunteers, speakers, and everyone who made this year’s celebration possible.
Our Sponsors
Champion Sponsor
Advocate Sponsor
Partner Sponsor
We also thank Angela Singleton for sharing her family’s story, Mia McLeod for challenging us to think deeply about justice and our responsibility to act, and Anton J. Gunn for a career that demonstrates the lasting impact of leadership and service.
As CHP looks beyond this 15-year milestone, our commitment remains clear: protect land and legacy, secure ownership rights, grow working lands, expand our impact, and strengthen communities.
Because when families have the knowledge, resources, and support to protect what generations before them worked to build, they have something powerful to pass on and remain rightfully home.
