The Realizing the Dream Concert
In 1990, The University of Alabama joined with Stillman College to present the first “Realizing the Dream” concert, which featured the eminent actor James Earl Jones narrating Aaron Copeland’s A Lincoln Portrait. Since that auspicious beginning, the concert has brought such luminaries as Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Julian Bond, Cicely Tyson, and Della Reese among others to the stage of the Moody Concert Hall to join the Tuscaloosa community in celebrating the shared goals and aspirations personified by the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Funded in part by an endowment from the Fiesta Bowl – which also funds minority scholarships at The University of Alabama – the “Realizing the Dream” concert changes every year, bringing together different parts of the community in ways that are fresh and rewarding, from in-school programs to school children’s drawings displayed in the lobby, from the blended voices of the college and youth choirs to the joined hands of the audience. The regional and national coverage of the concert shines the spotlight on a night of unity that inspires us to make tomorrow better.
Previous Concert Performers:
- 1990 - James Earl Jones
- 1991 - William Warfield
- 1992 - Della Reese
- 1993 - Cicely Tyson
- 1994 - Julian Bond
- 1995 - Harry Belfonte
- 1996 - Sidney Poitier
- 1997 - Maya Angelou
- 1998 - Roberta Flack
- 1999 - Vivian Malone Jones
- 2000 - Ossie Davis
- 2001 - Take 6
- 2002 - Rev. Al Green
- 2003 - Tonea Stewart
- 2004 - Yolanda Adams
- 2005 - Everett McCorvey
- 2006 - Marlon Jordan Quintet
- 2007 - Benita Washington
- 2008 - Choirs from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College and The University of Alabama