ABOUT CEA
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Community Empowerment Association (CEA) was founded in 1993 in order to establish an organized, structural approach to address the specific needs of at-risk youth and families in distressed, marginalized communities. CEA's 25 year success emanated through its grassroots origins ervingresidents of nine predominantly low income
undeserved communities inAllegheny County andthe City of Pittsburgh: Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington, Homewood, Wilkinsburg, Garfield, East Hills,McKeesport, Rankin, and Braddock.
CEA's mission is to restore, reclaim and transform distressed communities through strategic planning, collaboration, advocacy, education, and training. Additionally, by consistently generating jobs and economic sustainability, CEA serves as an
institutional foundation for the strengthening of Black communities.
FOUNDER
T. Rashad Byrdsong is the founder and chief executive officer of the unique community-based organization Community Empowerment Association (CEA) that has served over 25,000 individuals, youth and families in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. He simultaneously acts as the President and CEO of MA’AT Construction Group, an enterprise that has trained and/or employed over 1,000 individuals from black, distressed communities around the city. Coveted international speaker, and published author, his commitment to empowering the lives of Blacks has garnered him countless professional awards and accolades over the past 25 years.
As a life-long revolutionary activist, and social entrepreneur, Byrdsong is focused on achieving social justice by building institutions that create tangible benefits in Black communities suffering from poverty, racial discrimination, and other systemic disparities. His personal mission to restore, reclaim, and transform these undeserved communities through strategic planning, collaboration, advocacy, education, and mobilization are informed by his experiences in the civil rights struggle, combat service in Vietnam, and membership in the Black Panther Party.
A long-standing pillar within the community, C.E.A. is structured around Byrdsong’s own Afrocentric intervention paradigm–an empowerment approach that recaptures the resiliency of families by equipping them with the necessary tools to move towards self-determination, self-sufficiency and stability. This method was developed alongside his work with the National Urban Peace and Justice Council, an initiative that has for over two-decades, served gang members and at-risk youth by negotiating peace treaties, reuniting families, and guiding their process from adolescence to adulthood.
Byrdsong defies institutionally boundaries in the interest of building national, multi-faceted social justice coalitions. These diverse experiences most recently informed his development of the Public Health Approach to
Violence Reduction, a culturally-specific model which has been adopted by the Allegheny County Commission on Gun Violence.
Byrdsong is available for speaking engagements and consultations at your institution. Byrdsong shares his organizing and activist experience by giving speeches, serving as a panelist, and working as a consultant.
Message from The Chairman of the Board
For the past 25 Years, the work of Community Empowerment Association, Inc. has touched the lives of families within poor and minority communities. As Community Empowerment Association, Inc. continues to strive towards the mission of the organization, we anticipate the new direction to be “A Great Leap Forward” for the organization.
As a social service organization, we continue to be creative and innovative in our methods of providing education, training and employment opportunities for the poor and minority communities and families that we serve. The Board is excited about the growth of Community Empowerment Association as well as the good work done by the staff of the organization.
We thank our supporters for their ongoing commitment as we continue to do the work of empowering the community for yet another year.
State Legislator Martell Covington
Chairman of the Board
Board of Directors
Community Empowerment Association, Inc. (CEA)
Ms. Fran Carter, Secretary of the Board
Retired – Department of Human Services
Dr. Robert Marin
Associate Professor of Psychiatry WPIC
Ms. Lavern Jackson
Retired Registered Nurse, Washington, D.C.
T. Rashad Byrdsong
President and CEO
Mr. Christopher Carter
Board Member
Mr. Martell Covington
Board Chair
executive team
T. Rashad Byrdsong
President and CEO
Ms. Amargie Davis
Co-Founder & Deputy Director
412-371-3689 Ext. 250
Ms. Angela DeVan
Manager, Therapeutic Support
412-371-3689 Ext. 247
AWARDS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PODCAST
The Quality of Life Award is given to an organization who is helping residents access the larger economy and quality neighborhood amenities. They do this through assistance, support and programming to build assets, accumulate wealth and connection to economic opportunities. They are also actively contributing to make their neighborhood safe while positively impacting the health and well-being of families and neighbors.
Community Empowerment Association (CEA) was founded in 1993 in order to establish an organized, structural approach to address the specific needs of at-risk youth and families in distressed, marginalized communities. Their mission is to restore, reclaim and transform distressed communities through strategic planning, collaboration, advocacy, education, and training.
Mr. Byrdsong of Community Empowerment Association, Inc. is the lead principle on a collaborative project with Pitt Public Health entitled, “Live Longer, Empowering Pittsburgh Communities”. The project is geared towards identifying health issues in low income communities that are the causes of premature deaths to the citizens living in those low income communities, thereafter providing viable solutions to help those same citizens understand and make changes to their lifestyle to prolong their lives. During the height of the project, COVID-19 hit the country, putting the project on hold. That didn’t stop Mr. Byrdsong! He jumped into action right away and started a bi-weekly emergency food distribution program entitled “Food First Program”. He gathered all his donors and volunteers and began handing out and delivering food and supplies to our community’s most vulnerable citizens including senior citizens and the disabled, all while practicing social distancing. Mr. Byrdsong response to the crisis was not new; he was simply helping to feed the community that he has served in many ways for over 25 years. From youth-focused after-school programs, to providing families with basic necessities, to workforce development, CEA serves as a welcoming and trusted space for Homewood residents and a resource center for all of Allegheny county. Mr. Byrdsong is an inspiration to so many–proving that you can’t and shouldn’t be afraid to stand up and do the right thing, even in the face of huge uncertainty. #2020HNAAwards #QualityofLifeAwardee
