Birmingham Civil Rights Institute honors Vernon Jordan with Fred Shuttlesworth award
Above: Smokey Robinson performed at the BCRI Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award celebration. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 2015 Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
The civil rights movement is a work in progress and the fight must continue, Vernon Jordan said as he accepted the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award on Saturday evening.
“For it is the journey to the promised land, not the promised land itself, that will define a people and a nation,” Jordan said at a dazzling celebration at the Alabama Theatre hosted by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI).
Jordan’s words set an inspirational tone for the evening as community and civil rights leaders celebrated Shuttlesworth and the BCRI at a record-breaking event.
Birmingham Mayor William Bell said he couldn’t think of an “individual more worthy” of honoring than Jordan. “It is a great honor to be with you tonight,” Bell said. “But more importantly to celebrate and support Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the remarkable man Vernon Jordan.”
Alabama Power Chairman, President and CEO Mark Crosswhite and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman co-chaired the event.
“It is our privilege at Alabama Power to support the vital work of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute,” Crosswhite said. “For more than 20 years, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has served as a beacon, shining a light on our history while educating new generations about the ongoing human rights challenges of our day.”
Herman, who was not able to attend the event, greeted the audience on video.
This was the first celebration for Andrea Taylor as CEO of BCRI. Taylor took the helm in September. As Taylor honored the visionaries who created the institute, she also thanked her staff, board and volunteers for their work.
“Thank you for joining me to celebrate the 23rd year of service for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. It is an honor to greet you in my new roles as president and CEO and pay tribute to Fred Shuttlesworth,” said Taylor.
As a token of appreciation for attendees’ support, BCRI offered them a one-year membership to the institute.
“We extend these gifts as a thank you for your supporting our celebration of our past and embracing our future where civil rights are celebrated for years to come,” Taylor said.
Bobbie Knight, BCRI board chairman and vice president of Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division, and Doug Jones, BCRI board vice chair, presented the first 21st century awards, honoring those whose leadership in the community demonstrates the commitment of Shuttlesworth.
The inaugural honorees are Theresa De Leon, director of public relations for Rivera Communications; Randall Woodfin, Birmingham Board of Education member; and Lajuana Bradford, Regions senior vice president, director of Corporate Diversity and Public Affairs who previously served as BCRI board chairman.
As a video paid tribute to Jordan, world leaders including former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell shared comments via video.
“Once you have a friend in Vernon, you have a friend for life,” Powell said.
U.W. Clemon, Alabama’s first African-American federal judge, had the honor of presenting the Shuttlesworth award to Jordan. Given to Shuttlesworth in 2002, the award honors civil rights leaders who embody his work. Jordan is a civil rights pioneer, international business leader, distinguished attorney and counselor to presidents, including Clinton.
As Clemon listed Jordan’s many attributes, he noted that Jordan was no stranger to Birmingham and recalled their years of friendship.
“The advice and counsel Vernon gives to presidents he even gives to his friends. My wife, Barbara, and I are fortunate to be in that number,” Clemon said.
It is this friendship and an experience with Clemon that Jordan recalled emotionally as he accepted the award.
“Yes, we have been on this journey for a long, long time and I accept this award mindful of those who came before me,” Jordan said.
In 2003, Jordan traveled to Birmingham to give the eulogy at Deanie Drew’s funeral. After Clemon picked him up at the airport, they traveled to Clemon’s office. Jordan recalled looking out of the window of Clemon’s chambers and seeing the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and the streets where Bull Connor had set hoses on peaceful protesters.
“I stood there in the chamber of a black federal district judge, educated at Miles College and Columbia University School of Law and I thought about 1963. I thought about the four little girls, I thought about the courage of Fred Shuttlesworth and those whose houses got bombed so many times their neighborhood became known as Dynamite Hill.”
Jordan has revisited that moment many times since.
“The horror of the past and the hope of the future and the contrast of 1963 and 2003 was so incredible to me, I stood there with tears in my eyes,” Jordan said.
Jordan continued, reminding the audience of the work of those who came before them and the work that still remains.
“We cannot let how far we have come blind us from how far we have to go,” Jordan said.
“So at this moment we honor Fred Shuttlesworth for his vision, as we look at America in the future we must ask ourselves how Fred Shuttlesworth would react to America today,” Jordan continued. “Fred Shuttlesworth was fearless. He was forgiving and always moving forward as we all must be as we move from Birmingham of 1963 to Birmingham of 2015.”
Jordan’s inspiring words brought the audience to a standing ovation.
To continue the celebration, legendary R&B singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson entertained the audience with hits including “The Tracks of my Tears,” “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” and “My Girl.”
“Thank you so much. It is so good to be here. We love Birmingham and it is a wonderful city. So much history and progress and we love seeing you all here tonight,” said Robinson.
The event raised a record-breaking amount of money for BCRI.
Knight praised supporters for making the event a success.
“It takes a lot of people coming together to accomplish an event of this magnitude. I can’t thank our supporters enough for their contributions and partnership — Alabama Power, Regions Bank, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Raymond and Kathryn Harbert, HealthSouth and Alabama Media Group,” Knight said. “Vernon Jordan, thank you for recognizing the importance of this award and the impact you make.”
