Civil and human rights activists past and present were celebrated at the 35th annual Freedom Award ceremony, hosted by the National Civil Rights Museum on Oct. 1.
The ceremony, held at the Orpheum Theatre, honored people who have made "significant contributions" to civil and human rights — including modern day leaders and late icons such as Clara Ester and Dolly Parton
, who were honored during the ceremony."Tonight, we will celebrate four inspiring people who have left indelible marks on our society," said Russ Wigginton, President of the National Civil Rights Museum. "Each of our honorees tonight in their own way model our mission and focus on civil and human rights for positive social change...let us reflect on their passion and compassion
for fellow human beings."
This year's honorees were Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Fred Gray, a civil rights attorney who represented Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bakari Sellers, an author, attorney, and political commentator and Nneka Ogwumike, a power forward for the Los Angeles Sparks and the 2016 WNBA MVP.
Past honorees have included Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela, John Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Stacey Abrams, and Spike Lee.
Memphis is the "soul of Black America," and the evening represented "Black excellence," Sellers said on the red carpet.
The family of Tyré Nichols, National Civil Rights Museum Board of Directors Vice Chair Greg Duckett and Shelby County Commissioners Lashanta Rudd and Shante Avant walked the red carpet ahead of the event. Memphis Mayor Paul Young was also in attendance.
"This honor means more to me than you could ever imagine," Arline-Bradley said while accepting her award.
NCNW, founded in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, spans 400 chapters, 32 states and 113 college campuses.
Gray, who said in a pre-recorded video during the ceremony his goal was to become a lawyer and "destroy everything segregated he could find," found a landmark case in the 1956 Browder v. Gayle which desegregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama.
"I practiced law with him for 38 years" said Gray's son, Fred Gray Jr., who accepted the award on behalf of his father. "My father is a legal warrior on a mission...he would speak words of appreciation and words of challenge as he willingly passes the torch to generations of today and tomorrow."
Ogwumike, who serves as the president of the Women's National Basketball Player's Association, spoke about using her platform to support opportunity and autonomy for women.
"Women, especially women athletes, know what it is to promote a vision of the future that is not yet realized, Ogwumike said. "We refuse to be bullied, and we refuse to be silenced and made to disappear."
Former Vice President Kamala Harris congratulated Ogwumike and the other honorees via a pre-recorded video.
"You are a leader on and off the court, using your voice always to lift up the power of the people," Harris said. "Thank you for always being a fighter for the people."
Sellers, who in 2006 became the youngest African American elected official in the country when he was elected to the South Carolina legislature at age 22, became emotional when delivering his acceptance speech, and said he'd decided to go off-script.
"We were standing on the balcony where Dr. King was killed, and I'm not sure that we understand the price that was paid," Sellers said. "When I hug my wife, when I hug my children, I think about...all the heroes and heroines...because somewhere we have forgotten that we come from a people of dreamers...we have forgotten that we stand on the shoulders of so many people who were willing to die so that we could have four honorees tonight."
Jack Armstrong covers breaking news and the environment for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jack.armstrong@commercialappeal.com and followed on X @jca2902.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: National Civil Rights Museum honors leaders at 35th Freedom Awards
