Awards
2023 Tzedek Brilliance Award
The Tzedek Brilliance Awards are a one-time no-strings-attached grant of $50,000. Kathey Avery received the Ella Baker Brilliance Award, which honors a Black community leader in Asheville who has empowered and organized others to address systemic oppression.
Western North Carolina native Kathey Avery has been a nursing professional, health equity advocate, and social justice visionary for over 35 years. She provided antiracist education in her work with Building Bridges of Asheville, improved minority health access and care by serving over 7,200 clients as a contracted community nurse and director at Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA), and partnered with Unete NC to provide health education and support to migrant workers. As the Institute for Preventive Healthcare & Advocacy (IFPHA) and Avery Health Education and Consulting founder, Kathey strived to bridge healthcare disparities and racial divides in and across underserved WNC communities. Honored with the Carol McLimans Trailblazer Award (2021) and the Rosa Parks Award (2022), Kathey's lifelong track record of compassionate care and community empowerment exemplify the Ella Baker Brilliance Award.
“In this work, I am guided by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s wisdom that, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical death,’” says Avery. “Health inequity is a form of systemic oppression I work to overcome every day in every way.”
Learn more about this year’s awardees at https://tzedeksocialjusticefund.org/tzedek-brilliance.../
2022 Rosa Parks Award
The Rosa Parks Award honors women in the community who have fostered a culture of inclusion in the Asheville community, worked to achieve a just society for the disadvantaged, exemplified a nonviolent philosophy in pursuit of a better life for non-majority people, and inspired direct action in the cause of social justice.
2021 Carol McLimans Trailblazer
Land of Sky Regional Council is proud to award Kathey Avery the Carol McLimans 2021 Trailblazer Award.
Kathey Avery, RN, is a native of Western North Carolina and a lifelong healthcare provider, educator, and advocate. She has worked in numerous settings and is especially dedicated to improving the health and well-being of minority and other underserved populations.
Kathey has educated Ashevillians about chronic diseases and other health issues through community health screenings and educational events held in churches, Asheville public housing, MAHEC, the YMCA, and through the Shiloh Neighborhood Association. During her 11-year tenure at ABIPA, Kathey helped serve over 7,200 clients.
Kathey’s practical approach to solving healthcare inequities includes training and promoting the use of Community Health Workers to broaden the reach of health professionals in low-income settings. Her caring extends to people living alone with dementia who have little or no support by helping them receive a diagnosis and guiding them to appropriate resources. When the COVID vaccine came out, she traveled door-to-door in Shiloh, listening to residents’ fears and concerns, and offering information.
Kathey’s work for racial equity has spanned decades. Her involvement with Building Bridges, Mission Hospital’s Diversity Committee, the Racial Justice Coalition and the WNC Health Equity Coalition all speak to her commitment to helping the Asheville – Buncombe County community confront and overcome racism.
Kathey’s many accomplishments are impressive, but her character truly makes her a community leader and inspiration to others. Her integrity, positivity, compassion, sense of humor, work ethic, and love for her profession set her apart. She quickly puts people at ease with her openness and ability to find common ground.
She was presented the award on May 26 at the Land of Sky Regional Council’s Board of Delegates meeting.
2016 Unsung Heroes
Kathey Avery being introduced and welcomed to the stage as one of 10 Unsung Heroes at “A Grand Celebration of Latinx and Black Resilience” on October 30, 2016. As the culminating event of UNC Asheville’s African Americans in WNC Conference, the heroes, from various career backgrounds, were honored for committing their life’s work to shouldering movements, lifting up ideals, and giving wisdom and guidance to the community. Avery was recognized for her long-time work in Health & Wellness.
Celebrating with her granddaughter Cierra and brother Calvin.