Imogene Hines, an English professor at the Community College of Allegheny County, is the recipient of the 2012 Sojourner Truth Award from the Pittsburgh Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs.
Much like Sojourner Truth, Hines advocates for women's rights and political change. Hines is involved with numerous organizations, including the Pittsburgh chapters of NAACP, TheGirlfriends, Inc., Omega Wives and more.
"I usually choose the organizations because they have a social service arm," Hines said. "That gives me the platform to do for other people, and then you really don't have to worry about individual recognition, but you have group recognition for the effort."
She, along with other volunteers, assisted those in need through the Pittsburgh branch of GlobalLinks by doing simple tasks such as sorting and packaging surgical gloves and sending them to places like Haiti.
"It doesn't sound like a lot," Hines said. "In underdeveloped countries, there are a lot of people who are very ill and they need to be seen by doctors but they have a shortage of these surgical gloves."
The Eucharistic minister and active community member says winning the award was not a goal she had in mind.
"It's simply what I do," she said.