YWCA Honors Local Equity Champions
YWCA launches a new event highlighting the individuals and organizations figuring for equity in our community. Sponsored by Rick Steves’ Europe, the inaugural Bertha Pitts Campbell Equity Awards will be held online and presented to the following honorees:
- BUSINESS CHAMPION: The Seattle Storm (four-time WNBA champions and creators of Force4Change)
- COMMUNITY CHAMPION: Debbie Bird (current board chair of the Northwest African American Museum)
- RISING CHAMPION: Kavya Varkey (co-founder of International Peer Education on Climate Change and undergrad at Stanford University)
What:
Free online event emceed by Lauren Du Pree (actor, writer, and filmmaker) with a honoree Q&A facilitated by Amelia Ransom (YWCA Board and Avalara’s Director of Engagement and Diversity), as well as performances from spoken word poet Aviona Rodriguez Brown and soul singer Adra Boo.
When:
June 10, 2021 | 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where:
Online – link shared after registration.
These awards honor the life and legacy of Bertha Pitts Campbell (1899 – 1990). In addition to co-founding Delta Sigma Theta, a national service sorority for Black women, Pitts Campbell was also chair of the YWCA Phillis Wheatley Branch from 1932 to 1936, which delivered critical services for thousands of African American women and youth in the Central District.
Asked to represent the branch at YWCA board meetings, but denied a vote because of racial segregation, Pitts Campbell fought to be recognized as a full board member. Because of her actions, Seattle’s YWCA was the first nationwide to desegregate the board of directors in 1936.
About YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish:
YWCA is the region’s oldest and largest organization focused on the needs of women, and provides services and advocacy to support stable homes and economic advancement, reduce violence and improve health, and promote racial equity and social justice. With programs that serve more than 7,000 people each year, YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. To learn more, please visit our website: ywcaworks.org.