NAACP hosting lieutenant governor at human rights banquet
Courtesy of NAACP Washington Branch
Ester Barnes
Courtesy of NAACP Washington Branch
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis
The NAACP Washington Branch has announced its recipient of the 2023 Human Rights Award.
The NAACP will honor Ester Barnes, youth program director of Southwest Training Services Inc., at the 63rd annual Human Rights Award Banquet on Friday, May 5, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Meadow Lands.
Dinners starts at 6 p.m., with the awards at 7 p.m.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a Mon Valley native, will deliver the keynote address.
“The recipient must elevate economic, social or educational status, and must contribute to community causes, and Ester does that,” said Phyllis Waller, second president of the NAACP Washington Branch.
Barnes, of Washington, is well-known in the community for her role at STS, where she oversees the youth case management staff and serves as the agency’s liaison with all of the school districts and career and technology centers in Washington and Greene counties. Barnes said her life’s mission is to “reach and teach the youth.”
She has worked in the employment and training industry for more than 20 years, beginning her career at STS as a summer youth program supervisor before serving as a full-time youth case manager and then taking the helm as in-school youth coordinator.
Barnes serves on the several advisory councils; the Western Area Career & Technology Center’s adult programs, health programs, and Carl-Perkins Advisory committees; and is a volunteer for the Community Literacy Program for early-education classes with Smartkids Childcare and Learning Center and Kid Biz.
She was a member and co-chair of the Washington Drug & Alcohol Commission’s Washington Intervention Network; served as co-facilitator for the Washington Junior High Peer Education Advisory Board; and was a volunteer coach for Washington Youth Baseball and Washington TWIST Youth Softball League.
Barnes was the recipient of the 2009 Washington Hospital Teen Outreach Community Award, and was awarded the Washington Communities That Care – Community Caring Award in 2007 and 2009. She was an Athena Award finalist in 2015, and received the Don Angelone Rehabilitation Professional Award and the Washington School District Community Appreciation Award in 2018.
She’s also known for her service as a past member of the Abernathy Scholarship Board, the Wash Arts Board, the LeMoyne Multicultural Center Board, and the Communities That Care Board.
Barnes said her greatest support comes from her family – her husband, Darwin, and their children and grandchildren, who also enjoys watching sports.
Davis, of McKeesport, became Pennsylvania’s first African American lieutenant governor when he successfully ran and won the nomination alongside then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
The son of a hairdresser and bus driver, Davis saw the struggles of working class families firsthand and knew from an early age that he wanted to dedicate his life and career to public service.
A first-generation college graduate, he studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh and after graduation joined the office of the Allegheny County Executive’s Office. In 2018, Austin successfully ran for the state House of Representatives. He is the country’s youngest sitting lieutenant governor.
For more information, call the NAACP office at 724-222-7820.