Civil rights icon John Lewis, an Alabama native who was a longtime U.S. congressman from Georgia, and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, are the two newest Alabama Humanities Fellows.
The Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) will honor them Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:30 a.m. at a sold-out event at the Renaissance Montgomery. (Virtual tickets are available here.)
“The contributions to Alabama and to the nation of these two remarkable leaders is profound and lasting,” AHA Executive Director Chuck Holmes said. “Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative compel us as Americans to be better and do better, and to understand how our painful history shapes modern-day injustices. That vital work builds upon the powerful legacy of civil rights icon John Lewis and his lifelong march for justice and equality.”
Monday’s Alabama Colloquium will feature a conversation with Stevenson and a tribute to Lewis, who died in July 2020.
Lewis was born in 1940, the son of sharecroppers who lived near Troy. One of the original Freedom Riders, he founded and chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington. On March 7, 1965, Lewis suffered a fractured skull when mounted police charged and beat more than 600 marchers with night sticks as he and fellow activist Hosea Williams led them across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The day became known as “Bloody Sunday.”
Lewis served in the U.S. House of Representatives for decades and became known as the “Conscience of Congress.”
In 1989, Stevenson founded EJI, a nonprofit that provides legal representation to people who have been wrongly convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused in jails and prisons. In 1995, the human rights lawyer won a MacArthur “Genius” Grant after freeing an innocent man from death row. Stevenson also won freedom for Anthony Ray Hinton, a Jefferson County man who was convicted on two counts of capital murder and spent 30 years on Alabama’s death row despite his innocence. Stevenson led the 2018 opening in Montgomery of The Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching and racial segregation.
Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones will read an original poem in honor of both new fellows just before Lewis and Stevenson are honored.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Cynthia Tucker, a Monroeville native, will present Stevenson his Fellows honor, while Senior U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson will present Lewis’ honor to the Lewis family.
The colloquium continues with Michel Martin, the weekend host of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” having a conversation with Stevenson
Regions and the Montgomery County Commission are presenting sponsors, with support from BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama, Medical Properties Trust, Vulcan Materials, Poarch Creek Indians, Alabama Power and others.
“Regions Bank is proud to honor the legacy of the late civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, as well as the vital and passionate work of Bryan Stevenson,” said Lajuana Bradford, regional community development and partnerships manager for Regions Bank, and a co-chair of the event.
“Because of their dedication, tremendous strides have been made in advancing inclusive prosperity in Alabama and across the country — and we have a stronger foundation for building more progress in 2022 and in the years to come,” Bradford said. “At Regions, we are committed to addressing disparities and creating positive change. We salute the 2022 Humanities Fellows and are honored to sponsor this year’s Alabama Colloquium.”
For more information about this year’s colloquium, visit here. Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. For more information about the alliance, visit here.
(Courtesy of the Alabama Newscenter)
