Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski honored Sonia Spar as the 2026 Champion of Diversity for Suffolk County’s First Legislative District at a ceremony at the Southold Town Board’s May 5 meeting at the Peconic Lane Community Center.
The honor celebrates Ms. Spar’s “decades of tireless advocacy, multicultural leadership, and her extraordinary ability to bring together residents, institutions, and government in service of a more equitable and inclusive community,” according to Mr. Doroski’s office.
A longtime Southold resident originally from Colombia, Spar has dedicated her career to building bridges of understanding across cultural, linguistic, and civic boundaries.
Since 2023, she has served as Southold Town’s Spanish-Speaking Community Service Liaison, connecting multilingual residents with local government services and ensuring equitable access to information and civic participation. Her work is grounded in cultural humility, trust, and a firm belief that strong communities are built through meaningful engagement.
“Sonia Spar’s gift for bringing everyone to the table makes our entire community stronger. Whether she is connecting multilingual residents with local government, bridging cultural and faith communities, or working alongside health care providers to reach the most vulnerable among us, her work benefits us all,” said Mr. Doroski. “Southold and all of Suffolk County are stronger because of her leadership, and it is my honor to recognize her as our 2026 Champion of Diversity.”
In accepting the honor, Ms. Spar reflected on those who paved the way for her work and called on the community to remain engaged.
“I stand on the shoulders of extraordinary people who are no longer with us,” she said. “Their courage created room for conversations that were not always easy, but were necessary.”
Ms. Spar has been a longstanding member of the Southold Anti-Bias Task Force and had served on the Hispanic Advisory Board to the County Executive, bringing the perspective of Suffolk County’s growing Latino community to the highest levels of county government.
As a member of Northwell’s Health Equity Taskforce, she has also been a driving force in community health outreach, including the distribution of thousands of vaccines and efforts to ensure that underserved residents have access to quality medical care.
“Her ability to coordinate among local government, county agencies, health providers, and community members has proven essential to closing the gap in health equity on the East End,” according to Mr. Doroski’s office. “Spar’s recognition reflects a lifetime of service that has strengthened the fabric of Southold Town and set a standard for civic leadership across the region.”
Keep Independent News on the East End
The Beacon is able to provide all of our content online free of charge thanks to support from our readers. Be a vital part of keeping our community informed!
Advertisement
