BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Board of Directors will honor Congressman James E. Clyburn of South Carolina with the prestigious Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award during the Institute’s Eighteenth Anniversary Dinner, presented by BB&T. This annual fundraiser takes place in the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel Ballroom tonight, at 6 p.m.
Clyburn, the long-time civil rights activist, was selected as the recipient of this honor by the BCRI Board of Directors because his congressional voting record reflects his strong stance on civil and human rights issues.
BCRI’s event will celebrate the work of Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth with musical entertainment provided by his children and the young musicians of The Neo Jazz Collective. Other sponsors for this year’s event include Protective Life Corporation, The Birmingham News, The Birmingham Times and CBS 42.
This prestigious award was established in 2002 as the Institutes’ Board of Directors prepared to celebrate the organization’s tenth anniversary. They felt it appropriate to honor the person considered “The Father of the Birmingham Movement” by establishing an award that bears his name. Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth was the inaugural recipient of the award. Actor and humanitarian Danny Glover received the award in 2003; Dr. John Hope Franklin in 2004; Congressman John Lewis in 2005; Dr. Dorothy Cotton in 2006; Attorney Fred Gray in 2007; Rev. Joseph Ellwanger in 2008 and Rev. Joseph Lowery in 2009.
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s mission is to promote civil and human rights worldwide through education.