Mission
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream Committee – comprised of representatives from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference and The University of Alabama – exists to raise consciousness about injustice and promote human equality, peace and social justice by creating educational and cultural opportunities for growth, empowerment and social change so that every person may experience the bounty of life’s abundant possibilities.
History & Legacy
Since 1990, audiences have gathered each January for the Realizing the Dream Concert. Actor James Earl Jones set the tone for what was to come when he narrated Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait” in the inaugural concert. Since that auspicious beginning, the concert has brought such luminaries as Sydney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou, Al Green, Julian Bond, Cicely Tyson, Roberta Flack, Della Reese and John Legend, among others, to the stage at the Moody Music Concert Hall on the University of Alabama campus.
The single concert has grown to include activities throughout the year, including a distinguished lecture series and a performing arts event, as well as a Legacy Banquet that honors those who have made and continue to make significant contributions to fulfilling Dr. King’s dream. The banquet historically kicks off the yearlong Realizing the Dream celebration and annually features a well-known speaker. Banquet attendees have been inspired by journalists Laura Ling, Byron Pitts, Juan Williams and John Cochran, among others, as well as actor Danny Glover, Representative Terri Sewell and then-future U.S. Senator Doug Jones.
The theme changes annually to be relevant to current circumstances, and each year’s theme is designed to unify the community in ways that inspire us all to do our part in making a better tomorrow, remembering that King’s courage laid a foundation that both empowered and served as a catalyst for others to do their part, long after his passing, as the quest for social justice continues.