NAACP to honor Cameron with human rights award
The NAACP Washington branch has announced its recipient of the 2025 NAACP Human Rights Award.
Editor’s note: This story was updated April 14 to reflect the correct name of the NAACP Human Rights Award.
The NAACP will honor Kathy Cameron during its 65th annual awards banquet at 6 p.m. Friday, May 2, at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Meadow Lands.
Cameron, of Washington, is well-known in the community for her advocacy for the LGBTQA+ community.
She was a co-founding member and adviser to the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance (WCGSA), which started in 2005.
Under Cameron’s leadership, WCGSA incorporated as a nonprofit in 2012 to better serve the larger LGBTQA+ community of all ages in and around Washington County.
Cameron also served on the Board of Directors of the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Pittsburgh for five years, with the mission of safety in schools for all students in grades K-12.
“My passion lies in providing a safe, confidential environment for LGBTQA+ youth, adults, and their allies,” said Cameron, whose background is in the paralegal field.
Cameron and her husband, Peter Cameron, who have been married for 42 years, built The CENTER on Strawberry, a welcoming community center, in downtown Washington to house the programming of the WCGSA, starting in January 2017.
In addition, Cameron has served three terms on the inaugural Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs under governors Tom Wolf and Josh Shapiro.
She is a member of the Washington County Human Services Advisory Committee, Washington Drug & Alcohol Opioid Overdose Coalition, and she serves on the Washington County Community Foundation Allocations Committee.
“My greatest pleasure and accomplishment is to be the mother of four adult children and grandmother of eight,” said Cameron.
The keynote speaker for the yearly fundraiser will be Joanna McClinton, Pennsylvania Speaker of the House of Representatives.
As a state lawmaker, McClinton has made history three times: In 2018, she became the first woman and first African American to be elected as House Democratic Caucus Chair. In 2020, she was the first woman elected House Democratic Leader in the institution’s 244-year history. And in 2023, McClinton was elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House – the first woman to serve in that position.
A lifelong resident of southwest Philadelphia and graduate of Grace Temple Christian Academy, she studied Political Science and Leadership in Global Understanding at La Salle University. After earning her degree, she enrolled at Villanova University School of Law, interning at Regional Housing Legal Services, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
She was an assistant public defender for seven years and became assistant chief of the East Zone during her last year, helping attorneys with case preparation.
In 2013, McClinton combined her passion for public service and law by becoming chief counsel to state Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams.
Amy Podgurski-Gough will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.
For more information about the banquet, call the NAACP office at 724-222-7820.