NCM AWARDS All Honorees

  

Celebrating the important work of community leaders and advocates for youth and families for 24 years, Nabhi Christian Ministries (NCM) of Pittsburgh will honor notable individuals at its annual NCM Awards dinner on Oct. 22 at the Doubletree by Hilton Ballroom, Pittsburgh/Monroeville Convention Center. The event will be emceed by Pittsburgh’s multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist and broadcaster, Chris Moore, with music performed by Pittsburgh Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame inductee, the Tony Campbell Band. NCM Awards is sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and UPMC. Rod Doss, editor and publisher of the New Pittsburgh Courier, is receiving the Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award for an impeccable 54-year career with the nation’s largest, most influential Black newspaper. His successes include earning the New Pittsburgh Courier more than 100 National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Merit Awards, including the coveted John B. Russwurm Trophy and A. Philip Randolph Messenger Award. “We are deeply humbled to honor Mr. Doss. He’s a pillar of our community, serving as a trustworthy vehicle for black expression. He flawlessly represents the Black community with style, calm and class, making him an ideal candidate for this award,” says the Rev. Jacque Fielder, pastor of Nabhi Christian Ministries and founder of the NCM Awards. The second Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Maurita Bryant, retired Pittsburgh Police assistant chief and retired Allegheny County Police assistant superintendent. A trailblazer, she served 43 years in law enforcement, rising through the ranks to break the glass ceiling for women in public safety. “We are thrilled to recognize Maurita Bryant for boldly protecting and serving the public with outstanding leadership, mentoring and performance. She is an advocate for African-American women and youth, and is credited for improving community-police relations to help divert youths from the school-to-prison pipeline, making her another ideal candidate for this award,” says Rev. Fielder. The third Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient is Esther L. Bush, the first female president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, ranked as one of the nation’s top performing affiliates. Having served 41 years as an executive, Ms. Bush is a former director of the New York Urban League, Staten Island branch, and director of its Manhattan branch, and former assistant director of the Labor Education Advancement Program for the National Urban League in New York City. “Recognized by the White House as a ‘Champion of Change’ in educational excellence for African-Americans is impressive,” says Rev. Fielder. “We are pleased to recognize Ms. Bush for her incredible journey that tells an inspirational story of a remarkable woman of firsts, who not only transformed the Pittsburgh community but impacted the world. She, too, is an ideal candidate for this award,” says Rev. Fielder. The fourth Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is George Spencer Sr., national president of MAD DADS. During his 37-year career with the U.S. Postal Service, Mr. Spencer served 35 years for the National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees (NAPFE) as president of Pittsburgh Local 510, District 5 director of Labor Relation, and president (including union locals in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania). He currently is the elected national editor of the Executive Committee of NAPFE. “Mr. Spencer devoted decades to protecting African-American workers and the Black struggle for equality, combating discrimination by race, sex, religion, color, age, mental or physical disability and national origin. He tirelessly devotes hours of his time to issues of drugs, gangs and violence in Allegheny County to help us maintain safer communities, making him our final ideal candidate for the Lifetime Achievement Award this year,” says Rev. Fielder. The fifth NCM Awards recipient is Diara Jackson of Homewood. She will receive the Community Shero Leadership Award for outstanding community service and scholastic performance. “We are simply overjoyed to honor Ms. Jackson. Not only did she endure the difficult challenges of volunteering during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she also maintained her impressive straight-A status in school. Diara has promoted excellence in her personal life and throughout her community, making her an ideal candidate for this award,” says Rev. Fielder. Ms. Jackson is also a recipient of the NCM KCSA (Kirkland Community Service Award), a $500 incentive given to promising students in their senior year to help with graduation expenses. #18ricco #ncmawards #nabhi