Sophie Dixon Receives Tzedek Brilliance Award
Join us in showing love to Mrs. Sophie Dixon, whose life of service is a whole community empowerment masterclass.
The Tzedek Brilliance Awards are a one-time, no-strings-attached, grant of $50,000 given to leaders who have consistently shown up to dismantle systemic oppression in the Asheville region.
Ms. Sophie received the Ella Baker Brilliance Award, which recognizes a black community leader in Asheville who has empowered and organized others to confront systemic oppression.
Born and raised in Asheville’s historically Black Stumptown neighborhood, Ms. Sophie Dixon has devoted her life to community development and empowerment. After graduating from Shaw University in 1985 with a Business Management and Accounting degree, she enjoyed a 35-year career as a Customer Service Manager at Tycos/Welch Allyn, Inc. Retiring to focus full-time on community social justice, she hasn’t slowed down since.
A dedicated member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church for over 65 years, she served as Treasurer of its Community Development Corporation, empowering impacted people of color to address social health disparities through multi-sector collaborations.
Additionally, Ms. Sophie was the first female president of the Asheville-Buncombe County National Organization for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter, played an instrumental part in preserving the YMI Cultural Center, and co-founded the Empowerment Resource Center of Asheville & Buncombe County Inc., home to WRES 100.7 FM radio station, which uplifts communities of color through tailored programming.
At 87, this “community mother” remains a tireless advocate, volunteer, and mentor with a solution-driven approach. Her accolades include the 2019 Asheville City Council Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2022 Rosa Parks Award. Ms. Sophie is the president of the Shiloh Community Association, a WNC Bridge Foundation grantee, and volunteers full-time at the Empowerment Resource Center/WRES, ensuring future generations receive the inspiration and information needed to inherit a thriving community.
“In my work, I am guided by 1st Peter 4:10: ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s Grace in its various forms,’” explains Dixon. “In this light, I try to serve mankind for the improvement of my community, state, and nation by sharing my time, energy, and resources.”
The Tzedek Brilliance Awards honor Asheville’s leaders who are engaged in impactful, intersectional efforts to further racial justice, LGBTQ equality, and/or to dismantle antisemitism. As opposed to the majority of Tzedek’s grantmaking that funds organizational work, Brilliance Awards are designed to cultivate the well-being of individual brilliant community leaders by investing in their spaciousness, autonomy, and wisdom.
To learn more about the Brilliance Awards, visit tzedeksocialjusticefund.org/tzedek-brilliance-awards.
