The 13th Annual Ronald H. Brown Leadership Awards Gala brought many standing ovations as several facets of Pittsburgh’s history were celebrated.

The Dec. 5 event, presented by the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, honored leaders who not only had a major impact on the past, but whose legacies continued to shape the city today. Among them were the late Fred Rogers, the New Pittsburgh Courier, Thelma Williams Lovette, and the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society.

HIGH HONORS—From left: New Pittsburgh Courier Editor and Publisher Rod Doss; Urban League President Esther Bush; Fred McFeely Rogers' wife, Joanne Rogers; Thelma Williams Lovette; Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society President Mary Jane Gilliam; Urban League Chair David O'Brien and wife, Colleen O'Brien, celebrated the accomplishments of the Urban League and Pittsburgh's leaders.

“I know Fred would’ve felt so pleased to have you remember him,” said Rogers’ wife Joanne, who accepted the award on his behalf. “You are in the midst of doing what Fred really hoped people could do. Part of his legacy was please do what you can to make good attractive.”

Just as it is easy to conjure images from an episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” it is just as easy to remember the dedication Rogers had to fairness and equality.

In the year of the Urban League’s 90th anniversary, President Esther Bush shared how she collaborated with Rogers in his vision. Throughout her life, Bush said she had acquired a slave marriage certificate, receipt for the purchase of a slave and a tax certificate that listed 40 slaves.

“I gave him a copy of each of those. He told me later that he never took them out of his briefcase and as he traveled the world he taught children all over the world from those three certificates,” Bush said. “That’s the kind of man our Mister Rogers is.”

This year’s awards were given to those with not only citywide significance, but also nationwide significance. Among her many accomplishments Lovette, recipient of the Civic Leadership Award, was noted for carrying the Olympic torch for the 1996 Summer games.

“I can’t stand up here and not talk about Urban League because I remember when Urban League first started,” the 92-year-old Lovette said. “Thank you Urban League for honoring me because as a little girl I used to attend Urban League luncheons.”

Lovette has spent much of her life experiencing breathtaking moments like this, including when she heard Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and when she was hired as the first Black social worker at Mercy Hospital.

The New Pittsburgh Courier, which received the Corporate Leadership Award, has been tied to similar greats including W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Zora Neale Hurston, Wendell Smith to name a few. After serving as a prime outlet for African-American news over the past century, the newspaper continues to give readers a unique perspective on American life.

“Down through the years many gifted writers and photographers told the story exclusively to a people who otherwise could not see themselves in any positive light in other media,” Editor and Publisher Rod Doss said. “While we may be small in number today, we maintain a corporate mind in serving the community.”

The Community Leadership Award was given to the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society, most recognized for their documentation of the 85 Western Pennsylvania Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American pilots who flew for the United States military in World War II. As luck would have it, one of these airmen, Wendell Freeman, was in the audience.

“I accept this prestigious high honor in tribute to the record number of patriotic young Black (men) from Western Pa. who during World War II, despite constant degradation, racial bigotry and ongoing denial, proved Black pilots could skillfully fly military aircrafts in combat,” said president Mary Jane Gilliam.

The Urban League Leadership Awards are named for Ronald H. Brown, the first African-American appointed to the Cabinet post of Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton and the first to serve as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which led to Clinton being elected president.