Cameron receives Washington NAACP Human Rights Award; Pa. House Speaker delivers keynote speech at annual banquet
MEADOW LANDS – During her keynote speech Friday at the NAACP Washington Branch’s 65th annual Human Rights Award Banquet, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton – whose mother grew up in segregated North Carolina and raised McClinton as a single mom in southwest Philadelphia – looked around the ballroom at the DoubleTree Hilton Meadowlands.
“When we think about the fact that it wasn’t long ago that a room like this, where we could be together from all different races, backgrounds, faiths, heritages, political affiliations … to know that it’s just within a couple of decades that we have seen so much positive change happen in our nation,” said McClinton.
McClinton ascended to the leadership role in 2023, after making history in 2018 as the first woman and first African American elected to the House Democratic Caucus chair. And in 2020, she became the first woman elected as House Democratic leader in the institution’s 244-year history.
But McClinton cautioned against harmful trends that are eating away at decades of hard-fought work to build up and advance human rights in the country.
“We are in an age where some would have us go back to the time that my mother was born in and lived in,” said McClinton. “It was not long ago, folks, and we are now in this age where every part of the red, white and blue of our beautiful flag and the fabric of our democracy lies in the balance of our decisions, the decisions that we make every six months when we vote, the decisions we make every day when we get up and speak on how we’ll interact and engage with our neighbors, and whether or not we’ll treat people as if they’re ‘others.'”
McClinton encouraged people to not remain silent, and to “be committed to ensuring that what we see in this country continues to be a positive change” during turbulent times and increasing inequality in the U.S. and worldwide.
“It’s about making sure that we are not silent and we are not sitting on the sidelines when it matters to the most vulnerable communities,” she said.
McClinton urged people to “be determined,” despite the challenges facing the country and the world.
“The thing that I cannot give you but that you can decide to have every day is determination. Determination to make a change, determination to be a voice for the voiceless, determination to fight for justice,” she said. “It’s organizations like the NAACP that have made a world of difference in times, believe it or not, that were darker than the hour that we see. Organizations that faced things that, God forbid, our children and grandchildren will never have to see when trying to exercise their right to vote or their freedom of speech … we have to be fearless in this age and say, ‘No, no, no. I’m going to be the voice for this hour.'”
Following McClinton’s speech, Phyllis L. Waller, second president of the NAACP Washington Branch, presented Kathleen Cameron with the Human Rights Award.
Cameron, co-founder of Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, was honored for her decades spent tirelessly advocating for the LGBTQA+ community in and around Washington County and her efforts to “uplift the common and foundational values of integrity, dignity, and respect for all people.”
With her husband, Peter Cameron, she built The CENTER on Strawberry, a welcoming community center in downtown Washington to house the programming of WCGSA.
“I humbly accept the NAACP’s 2025 Human Rights Award on behalf of the community that I’ve had the honor of serving for the last 20 years through the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance,” said Cameron, who brought the audience to their feet following her acceptance speech.
“Not only are you recognizing my service to the LGBTQA+ community, but you’re recognizing the entire community itself in Southwestern Pennsylvania and the trials and tribulations they have suffered in the past, present days, and unfortunately the foreseeable future in the United States,” said Cameron. “Human rights are fundamental freedoms and protections inherent to individuals simply by virtue of being human, including freedom to be yourself, as designated by you, with regard to such orientation and gender identity expression and basic protections such as availability to access health care pertinent to you as an individual whether you are a person of color, an elder, youth, woman, a transgender individual, or someone on the spectrum of gender and orientation.”
She mentioned that earlier in the evening she had a conversation with a NAACP member who remarked, “We are all more alike than we are different.”
“That should resonate with all of us. We get one life on Earth and we should just spend it being kind, respectful and considerate to those unlike us as well as those who are just like us,” said Cameron.
Cameron co-founded the Washington County Gay Straight Alliance in 2005.
“I’m proud to include the NAACP among our allies, and hope we can continue to grow together. It has turned into a mission in my life … Even though we are tired of fighting the same fights over and over, we are not giving up and we’re not going anywhere,” she said.