The annual 2023 Realizing the Dream and activities at the University of Alabama are approaching.
This year’s theme, “Realizing the Dream Through Commitment and Sacrifice,” recognizes those who serve in the military. The theme was selected by the Realizing the Dream Committee with representatives from Shelton State Community College, Stillman College, the Tuscaloosa chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the University of Alabama.
The guest speaker is retired Lt. General Russel L. Honore, who led 22,000 soldiers to assist in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The 14th Legacy Awards Banquet will Jan. 13 in the Sellers Auditorium at the Bryant Conference Center .
Retired Lt. Colonel George Hardy of the Tuskegee Airmen will receive the Mountain Top Award. He flew 21 combat missions in World War II, 45 in the Korean War, and 70 in Vietnam. Hardy retired from the military in 1971.
Retired Lt. General Willie J. Williams, the namesake of the Stillman College Institute for Leadership, Education Equity and Race Relations, is set to receive the Call to Conscience Award. Williams graduated from Stillman in 1974 and served in the Marine Corps for 40 years, eventually earning the title of Marine Corps Chief of Staff.
Chris Gill, a veteran who is working toward a doctoral degree in educational psychology, will receive the Horizon Award. Gill research on veterans transitioning into civilian life has prevented numerous suicides.
The featured artist for the 2023 Realizing the Dream Concert will be Tasha Cobb Leonard, a singer, song writer, and minister.
Tuscaloosa SCLC, a partner of Realizing the Dream, will sponsor Unity Day Activities.
The Unity Day Activities will begin at 7 a.m. Jan. 16 with a breakfast at Beulah Baptist Church. At noon, the Unity Day activities will officially begin at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. The annual Mass Rally is 5 p.m. at First African Baptist Church.
All activities are free and open to the public.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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