Home > YWCA Announces 2012 Racial Justice Award Recipients

The YWCA Greater Pittsburgh is pleased to announce the 2012 Racial Justice Award Recipients:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Tim Stevens, Chairman and CEO, Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP)
COMPANY/BUSINESS: Chauncey W. Smith, Equal Employment Opportunity Consultant, H.J. Heinz Co.; Management & Diversity Consultant, Pope & Associates
EDUCATION: Épryl King, President, Raising Achievement In Monroeville and Pitcairn, Inc.
FAITH: The Rev. Dr. Moni McIntyre, The Church of the Holy Cross
HEALTH: Paula K. Davis, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Schools of the Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
LEGAL: David A. Harris, Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT: Alexis Werner, Seeds of Hope, Shaler Area High School
YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT: Michael Sutton, Sewickley Academy, Class of 2012; Duke University, Class of 2016

Please join us to recognize these local trailblazers at the21st Annual Racial Justice Awards Dinner onWednesday, November 14, at the Westin Hotel, 1000 Penn Avenue, downtown Pittsburgh. The reception begins at 5:30 pm, and the dinner and award program follow at 6:30 pm.

Cecile M. Springer (pictured left) is this year's Honorary Chair, and WPXI-TV's Vince Sims will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. We will also honor Sarah B. Campbell for her contributions to the YWCA and racial justice.

To attend the 2012 Racial Justice Awards Dinner, call 412-255-1261 or go to www.ywcapgh.org.

(pictured: Tim Stevens) Active in struggles against racism and for civil rights since the 1960s, Stevens served for a number of years as President of the Pittsburgh NAACP. He is currently the Chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP).

Tim Stevens began his work in the Volunteer Resource Services Department of Mayview State Hospital in March 1977, as the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator. He was the department’s director from July 11, 1989 to December 26, 2008. Estelle B. Richman, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare described the Mayview volunteer program as providing “…a standard for volunteer services other hospitals can only hope to duplicate.”

Tim has been organist at Trinity A.M.E. Church since October 1972.

He launched B-PEP, the Black Political Empowerment Project, a non-partisan community collaborative, on May 21, 1986, and is the project’s Chairman. The project is committed to bringing to fruition the mission statement that “It’s a LIFETIME commitment…African Americans VOTE in each and every election!”

As Chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project, Tim, along with members of B-PEP and One HOOD, hosted a Press Conference on violence on February 8, 2007 which led to the creation of the Coalition Against Violence which is credited with writing what many believe to be the most comprehensive set of anti-violence strategies ever identified to impact violence within the Metropolitan Pittsburgh Region and beyond.

Tim founded the “Black & White Reunion” in 1996, an interracial group of Metropolitan Pittsburgh citizens aimed at building bridges between the races. It was initiated as a constructive community response to the death of Jonny Gammage, which occurred on October 12, 1995.

Tim was elected President of the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch in November 1994, and provided the organization with a decade of leadership. Under his leadership the NAACP was the primary voice of the African American community for ten years in the Metropolitan Pittsburgh community. During his last year in office the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch was awarded the prestigious Thalheimer Award at the July 2004 NAACP National Convention, acknowledging the Branch as “second in the nation” for its program activities, for Branches with a paid Executive Director. Tim also served as a former Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Unit for 4 ½ years, and was a former Vice President under two different Presidents. During his term as the Unit’s Executive Director, the Unit received three (3) national recognitions, including “number one in the nation” in 1973 among branches with paid Executive Directors.

Tim Stevens is credited with helping to bring to fruition the African American Cultural Center of Pittsburgh, by brokering the commitment from former Mayor Tom Murphy in 1996, prior to the 1997 National NAACP Convention hosted by the Pittsburgh Branch, to establish such a facility in Pittsburgh.

In the fall of 2003Tim Stevens was the primary author of the NAACP Pittsburgh Unit’s “Plan for Fairness & Equity for Women and Minority Contractors”, which became the basis for the Allegheny County Executive’s “Executive Action” adopted by former County Executive Jim Roddey, and which was the very first “Executive Action” adopted by County Executive Dan Onorato in May 2004. Tim sits on the County’s DBE/WBE Committee to help oversee the implementation of this important initiative.

Tim has been privileged to receive various community awards over the years. On June 13, 2009 Tim received the “Excellence Award” from the Seventh District of the Order of Eastern Stars. On March 13, 2009 he received the “Beacon of Hope Neighborhood Development Award” from the Hill House Association. He was recognized by the New Pittsburgh Courier as one of the “Fifty Men of Excellence” in 2008 and one of the fifty (50) most influential men in Pittsburgh in 2007, 2006, 2005 and in 2004. In the fall of 2008 Tim was recognized by Talk Magazine as one of the most influential African Americans in Pennsylvania. On December 27, 2008 Tim was honored by the Community Empowerment Association as a winner of “The Nation Building Award”. Other honors include the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission 50th Anniversary Celebration Award on April 11, 2006, the ”Byrd R. Brown Civil Rights Award” from L.J.S. Publications on February 18, 2006, the “Greater Pittsburgh Black History Celebration-Past, Present-Future-Perfect Awards” from Your Sister’s Project, Inc. on February 18, 2006, the “Stop the Violence Humanitarian Award” from the Voice of Vision Outreach Ministries on February 19, 2006, the Renaissance Publication’s 2002 Black Trailblazers “Torch Lighter for Civil Rights Community Service Award”, the “Community Service Award” on March 2, 2002 from the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education, the 2002 “African American Heritage Day Award” from the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club, the Mayview State Hospital Board of Trustee’s “Ambassador Award” in 2001, the Pittsburgh Affiliate Black Child Development Institute “Outstanding Leadership Award” in 1998, and the Greater Pittsburgh A.M.E. Ministerial Alliance Award for Outstanding Community Service on February 19, 1995, and “The Ambassador Award” from Mayview State Hospital.

In music Tim Stevens has also received many awards including the Champions Association’s “Entertainer of the Year” Award in 1982, The Pittsburgh Courier Entertainer Magazine “People’s Choice Poll” winner as Pittsburgh’s Favorite Entertainer in 1982, and the winner of the Pittsburgh Young Adult Club’s “Music Award” in 1980.

He has written over seventy-five (75) original compositions, including one recording by jazz great Nancy Wilson on her last Capitol Records album in 1980, “The Sadness In My Eyes”.

Tim has been the “Jazz Editor” for Pittsburgh Magazine, of WQED Publications, since April 1995.

Tim Stevens is the proud husband of Jennifer Andrade Stevens and the excited father of Marcus Kennedy Andrade Stevens!

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