Dare to Understand Awards

The Dare to Understand Award honors individuals, communities, and businesses of distinction that champion the work of interfaith engagement and understanding across lines of difference.

This award celebrates those who boldly “dare to understand” and applauds the courage it takes to cross lines of difference in order to work together for the common good. Awardees lead their communities by example, demonstrating humility, curiosity, and respect, qualities imperative in interfaith work.

For more information about this event

For more information about this event, please contact Sara Zebovitz, at: [email protected].

HONORING BRITAIN COVEY

Interfaith Philadelphia is pleased to present Britain Covey with the 2025 Dare to Understand Award at our Stand Tall event on May 15, 2025.

Covey Stands Tall in his faith in all aspects of his life. As a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver and punt
returner, Covey remains steadfast in his faith despite public pressure to conform and heavy
expectations to succeed. Covey openly lives his faith by sharing his values through his actions and
interactions with those around him. Covey's positive attitude and outlook uplift all those around him,
and he is gracious in sharing his time with others. He brings his full self, inspiring others – young and old – to do the same.

Dare to Understand Award Past Recipients

2024

Imam Dr. Quaiser D. Abdullah
- Chair of the Board of Directors, 2021-2024
The Reverend B. Jesse Garner
- Former Chair of the Board of Directors
Marjorie N. Scharf
- Founder of Walking the Walk Youth Initiative
The Very Rev. Judith A. Sullivan
- Former Chair of the Board of Directors

2023

Valarie Kaur

2022

Msgr. Michael Carroll
Sr. Maria Hornung

2021

Dr. Ala Stanford
- Founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium
Dr. Anthony Fauci
- Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

2020

Milan Kunz
- On behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philadelphia Area
Rev. Steven Lawrence
- On behalf of NewCORE (New Conversation on Race and Ethnicity)

2019

Krista Tippett
- Journalist, Author, Host of National Public Radio Program and Podcast "On Being"

2018

PECO
- Accepted by Elizabeth Murphy
Husnaa Hashim
- Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate, Walking the Walk Aluma
Jane Golden
- Founder, President of Mural Arts Philadelphia

2017

Eboo Patel
- Founder, President of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC)

2016

Gity Banan-Etemad, MD
- Founding Board Member, Philadelphia Baha'i Faith Leade
The Honorable Michael A. Nutter
- Former Mayor of Philadelphia

2015

Helen Cunningham
- President of the Samuel S. Fels Fund
SEPTA/General Counsel Gino Benedetti
- Leaders in the Center's coalitional effort to mount a public response to the anti-Islamic ad campaign on SEPTA buses
- Read remarks from our 2015 Walking the Walk Alumni Presenter, Hanna Elmongy

2014

Interfaith Philadelphia 10th Anniversary Awards

Current and Past Board Chairs:
- Rev. Richard Fernandez
- Imam Muhammad Abdur-Razzaq Miller
- Sr. Gloria Coleman, SHCJ
- Lawrence Silverman, Esq.

2013

S.A. Ibrahim
- CEO of Radian; Sponsor of Ibrahim Fellows Program (interfaith initiative for young adults) Convener, Business Leaders Roundtable of Interfaith Philadelphia
Michael Pasek (Student Recipient)
- Alumnus of the Interfaith Center's Walking the Walk Youth Program; Ph.D. Candidate, Penn State in Diversity & Psychology

2012

Thomas Stewart, In Memoriam
- Banker and Board member of Interfaith Philadelphia whose interfaith activism followed the tragic loss of his son-in-law in the World Trade Center on 9/11.