Pauli Murray Award Winners

Adult Winners

J Will[1]



 James E.  Williams Jr 

James E. Williams, Jr. received a B.A. in Political Science and J.D. from Duke University. He was Chief Public Defender for Orange and Chatham Counties from 1990-2017. He was previously the Felony Chief of the Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office.

In 2010, while a member of the N.C. Advocates for Justice Board of Governors, Mr. Williams helped establish and served as Chair of the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System. In 2012, the work of the Task Force led to the establishment of the N.C. Commission on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Criminal Justice System, of which Mr. Williams served as a Board Member and later Commission Chair. Mr. Williams is also a founder and Board member of the N.C. Public Defender Committee on Racial Equity and serves on numerous boards, including the N.C. Fines and Fees Coalition, National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, N.C. Association of Black Lawyers, and Orange Bias Free Policing Coalition.

Since 2018, Mr. Williams has served in an Of Counsel capacity at The Center for Death Penalty Litigation as Racial Equity Coordinator. In January 2020, Governor Cooper appointed him to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. Mr. Williams has received numerous awards, including the N.C. Advocates for Justice Thurgood Marshall Award, the MLK University/Community Planning Inc. MLK Jr. Citizenship Award, the N.C. ACLU Champion of Justice Award, and the North Carolina Bar Association James McNeil Smith Jr. Award. Most recently, he won the N.C. Advocates for Justice Annie Brown Kennedy Award for commitment to acquiring full freedom for all citizens of North Carolina and exceptional advocacy that protects individual liberties.


delores

Delores P. Simpson

As a high school teacher and middle school guidance counselor, Ms. Simpson provided skills and insights to children in their formative years and to colleagues and parents during the tense years of school integration. 

After her retirement, Ms. Simpson served two decades on the Orange .County School Board, and was the first African American woman to chair the board. Using her insight and wisdom to guide the school system in hiring black leadership, to implement policies to improve race relations within classrooms, among school staff, and to involve parents and community in cross cultural support of public schools. Ms. Simpson then turned her talents to fortifying the Orange County Library programming for book clubs, leading adults to experience Black literature and meet the author presentations while enjoying sharing cross cultural events. 

As a member of Delta Kappa Gamma international educators’ honor society Ms. Simpson has held office and has embraced projects strengthening cross cultural skills among colleagues locally and abroad. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________


Pauli Murray Award Winners

Year
Youth
Adult
Business
1990
--
Louise Echols
Ralph Pendergraph
Rev. Tim Kimrey
--
1991
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
1992
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
1993
--
Charlotte Garth Adams
--
1994
--
Midred Berkeley
--
1995
--
Rebecca Clark
--
1996
--
Allan "Lightning" Brown
--
1997
Alicia Hermann (Keesling)
Timothy Miles
--
1998
Liala Edwards
Hazel Lunsford
--
1999
Danielle Brittany Price
Aubrey Chris Nutter
Weaver Street Market
2000
Jacquelyn Lynn Payne (Rogers)
Bonnie B. Davis
Joe Herzenberg
Sports Endeavors
2001
Kristin Mattison
Peter Richard Kramer
Women's Workout Club
2002
Rachel McCook
Shirley Marshall
Carol Woods Retirement Community 
2003
Laura Williamson
Mariah Ann McPherson
Kelsey's Cafe
2004
--
Frances Finney
--
2005
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
2006
--
Florence D. Soltys
Balloons and Tunes
2007
--
Dorothy Johnson
Frances Jones
Fleet Feet Sports
2008
Camellia Lee
Josephine Holman-Long
Cliff's Meat Market
2009
Elizabeth McManus
Robert L. Campbell
DooR to DooR
2010
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
*No Ceremony Held
2011
Joseph DeVito
Maggie West
Chapel Hill Rehabilitation and Healthcare
2012
Emma Morris
Crystal Fisher
--
2013
Desaray Rockett
Judith Blau
Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe
2014
Emma Catanzaro
Elizabeth "Binnie" Davis
Walter Faribault, Jr. 
Music Makers Relief Foundation
2015
Linnea Van Manen
Ruth George
Reyna Rivera
Deborah Stroman
--
2016
Korie Dean
Flicka Bateman
Mediterranean Deli
2017
Kenzi Patrick
Mariela Hernandez
--
2018
--
Lorie L. Clark
Joe Van Gogh
2019
Thea Barrett
Mae McLendon
--
2020Savanah ClayQuintin HarperPresent Day on Main
2021Kendall LytleLaila Bradford
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County