WASHINGTON, DC—This morning, FBI Director Christopher Wray presented Adolphus Pruitt II with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for his service to the people of St. Louis. As president of NAACP St. Louis, Mr. Pruitt deliberately creates an environment for open discussions which encourages transparent input from all sides on matters important to the public. The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. Each year, one person or organization from each of the FBI’s 56 field offices is chosen to receive this prestigious award.

“Our success as both a law enforcement and an intelligence agency hinges on our ability to foster and maintain genuine partnerships with people in all communities,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “People like this year’s Leadership Award recipients not only identify what others need, but they are willing to roll up their sleeves and provide services. They are building bridges and relationships while putting in the work to have hard conversations and find common purpose. They do it out of kindness and compassion with a sincere belief that justice—in its many forms—requires all of us to do the right thing in the right way.”

FBI St. Louis has worked with Mr. Pruitt on civil rights matters since he became president in 2010. FBI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge Jay Greenberg said, “We are honoring Adolphus for the way he consistently tries to bridge trust between law enforcement and the African American community to help heal the divide that ultimately hurts all sides.”

Director Wray hosted the 2023 DCLA honorees in a special ceremony at FBI Headquarters today, emphasizing the importance of community partnerships in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships—as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients—have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award, the FBI’s general outreach efforts, and FBI St. Louis online.