Guyana-born Black rights advocate Sheila Pitt was honoured last Saturday with a Community Builder Award by the United Way’s Eastern Ontario chapter.

The presentation was made during Black History Ottawa’s launch at the National Gallery of Canada.

Mrs. Pitt who served as president of the Guyana-Ottawa Association for two terms, is a founding member of Black History Ottawa, an organization committed to advancing education in the history, culture, tradition and achievements of Canadians of African descent.

She told The Caribbean Camera that she saw the need to promote the values of racial equality and heritage and worked for many years as a community advocate.

Mrs. Pitt organized the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations in Ottawa at St. Albans Church in the early 1980s and played an active role in Ottawa’s African Caribbean pageant.

“The pageant helped girls to sharpen their communication skills and build their self-worth,” she said.

Mrs. Pitt also spent many years volunteering with Impact Heritage, a youth initiative founded by her sister, Ruby Foster-Saygon.