One by one, the women looked out over an audience of resident leaders who, like themselves, have impacted and strengthened their communities. The women, recipients of NeighborWorks America’s 2024 Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership, have made their communities safer and more beautiful, have fought for health and equity, and have helped rebuild after a devastating wildfire.
Richardson is known for creating the model upon which NeighborWorks was based when she and her neighbors gathered bankers, government officials and other partners to fight neglect and disinvestment due to redlining in their Northside Pittsburgh neighborhood in the 1960s. NeighborWorks presented the awards named for the leader earlier this month during an inspirational ceremony in Baltimore. Throughout the evening, the honorees shared their hopes, their wisdom and their calls to action.