Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to Honor
PNC Bank and Chairman, President & CEO William S. Demchak
2018 Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award
Former Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates
Beacon of Justice Award
Student Leaders Trevon Bosley, Zion Kelly, Mya Middleton and Christopher Underwood from March for Our Lives Youth Rally
Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC — William S. Demchak, chairman, president and CEO of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. will receive the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s 2018 A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award for exemplary corporate leadership in promoting diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace. This year’s black tie gala, will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at 7 p.m. with a VIP reception and red carpet event at 6 p.m. Sally Q. Yates, King & Spalding partner and former Acting Attorney General of the United States, will receive the organization’s Beacon of Justice Award for her unwavering commitment to justice, and efforts to promote criminal justice reform. Student leaders from the historic 2018 March For Our Lives Youth Rally will be honored with the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award.
The Higginbotham Dinner is one of the largest gala events in the civil rights community, attracting nearly 1,000 attendees annually. Emmy Award-winning CBS sports commentator Jim Nantz will serve as guest emcee at this year’s dinner. Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, will present Pittsburgh-based PNC with the Higginbotham Corporate Award. Wachtell, Lipton Rosen & Katz partner Edward Herlihy will chair this special event.
“On behalf of PNC and its 53,000 employees, I am both proud and honored to receive the Higginbotham Award,” said William S. Demchak. “At PNC, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is one of the defining qualities of our corporate culture and of how we engage with our customers and communities. It is at the heart of our talent and team-building philosophy, and it comes to life each day through PNC Grow Up Great, our $350 million effort to create greater access to high-quality early childhood education for every child in every community where we do business..”
“As the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law fights to ensure equal opportunity for African Americans and underrepresented minorities, we are proud to recognize the PNC Financial Services Group for its steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
“We also salute Former Acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, whose tenacity, courage and tireless commitment to the rule of law inspires attorneys across the country to fight for justice and equality. In addition, we are thrilled to recognize the next generation of leaders in our country. Zion Kelly of Washington, DC, Mya Middleton and Trevon Bosley of Chicago, IL and Christopher Underwood of Brooklyn, NY each eloquently addressed the nation on the impact that gun violence has on communities of color at the March for Our Lives Rally this past March. They stand as a powerful reminder that young people can help promote change and reform on a national scale.”
The prestigious Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award, named in honor of Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., a pioneering civil rights advocate, author and federal appeals court judge, was established in 2000. The Gala is now in its 18th year. Past honorees include The Home Depot; Aetna Inc.; BellSouth Corporation; Citigroup Inc.; Colgate-Palmolive Company; DuPont;Ernst & Young LLP; Fannie Mae; General Electric Company; J.P. Morgan Chase and J.P. Morgan Chase Investment Bank; McDonald’s; Microsoft Corporation; The New York Times Company; PepsiCo, Inc.; Qualcomm, Inc.; Time Warner, Inc. and United Parcel Service. In addition, honorees recognized for their work to promote equal justice under law include former Attorney General Eric Holder and Congressman John Lewis, among others.
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