Tempe honors local leaders and organizations at MLK Diversity Awards

The Tempe Human Relations Commission presented its 27th Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Awards to local individuals and organizations recognized for advancing equity, inclusion and community resilience.

Rabani Prakhan, chair of the Human Relations Commission, said the awards honor ‘‘individuals, organizations, and businesses in Tempe that have demonstrated a commitment to celebrating diversity and inclusion.’’ The program named winners across four categories: individual adult, individual youth, education and community organization.

Winners announced at the event included Ashley Maddox (individual adult), recognized for elevating youth voice and expanding access through student-led health initiatives at Arizona State University; Billy Harris (individual adult honoree/pioneer in women’s softball), celebrated for a decades-long sports career and community perseverance; Trevania Jana Lagada (individual youth), for storytelling work that amplifies voices of people experiencing homelessness through the Stories of the Street project; and Dr. Felicia Durden (education), recognized for more than 20 years in K–12 and higher education and leadership on early-childhood initiatives.

Community organization awards went to Peer Solutions, cited for youth-led, trauma-informed prevention programs, and Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster-response group that aided Tempe after an October microburst. Prakhan highlighted Team Rubicon’s local volunteer mobilization after the storm and invited the audience to applaud recipients.

Organizers asked the public to carry the ‘‘work of creating a just, inclusive and compassionate world’’ beyond the ceremony. The commission did not announce formal award funding amounts or follow-up requirements for winners at the event.

— Reporting based on remarks and award citations delivered at the ceremony.