Legacy BanQuet
The annual Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet features a keynote speaker and recognizes three community members who embody the servant leadership of King.
Clarence Page
Clarence Page is the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a columnist syndicated nationally by Tribune Media Services and a member of the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Among his many honors, he received lifetime achievement awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Chicago Headline Club and the National Association of Black Journalists and was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame. Page is the author of the best-selling book, “Showing My Color: Impolite Essays on Race and Identity.”
Legacy Award Winners
2024
Mountaintop Award
Richard Arrington, Jr.
Richard Arrington, Jr. is the former mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. He was elected as Birmingham’s first Black mayor in 1979. When he left office in 1999, the city had a record number of jobs and its lowest unemployment rate. Birmingham expanded its city limits by 60 square miles, expanded and solidified its tax base, and reduced crime to its lowest level in 25 years. During his tenure, he increased minority employment in the city government of Birmingham, increased Black department heads, and increased hiring and promotions for women. He is the former executive director of the Alabama Center for Higher Education and former dean at Miles College. Arrington graduated from Miles College in 1955 and earned his master’s degree from the University of Detroit (1957) and PhD from the University of Oklahoma (1966). He has received numerous honors and recognitions for his leadership and service, including eight honorary doctorate degrees.
Call to Conscience Award
Senator G. Douglas Jones
Doug Jones is a 1976 graduate of The University of Alabama and a 1979 graduate of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. As U.S. attorney, he led the prosecution team in the re-opened case of the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, successfully prosecuting two former KKK members for the murder of four young girls in one of the deadliest crimes of the civil rights era. In recognition of his civil rights work, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute awarded Jones the 15th Anniversary Civil Rights Distinguished Service Award. He served as U.S. Senator from Alabama from 2018–2021. Among his accomplishments in the Senate, he cosponsored the American Broadband Buildout Act of 2019 and supported criminal justice reform by voting for the First Step Act. He also served on several committees, including the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Horizon Award
Adebola Aderibigbe
Adebola Aderibigbe, a sophomore at Stillman College, hails from the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria. Choosing to major in journalism, Adebola believes that every story has the power to spark change. She is driven by the dream of using her journalistic prowess to amplify unheard voices and create waves of inspiration. Her journey at Stillman College is not just an academic pursuit, but a testament to her commitment to being a catalyst for positive change. Beyond the classroom, Adebola thrives on the energy of making a positive impact in her community and the world at large.
Legacy Banquet Award Recipients & Speakers
2023
Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, speaker
Christopher Gill, Horizon Award
Lt. Gen. Willie Williams, Call to Conscience Award
Lt. Col. Geogre Hardy, Mountaintop Award
2022
Star Jones, speaker
Carina Villarreal, Horizon Award
Nahree Doh, Call to Conscience Award
The Honorable U.W. Clemon, Mountaintop Award
2020
Laura Ling, speaker
Emma Mansberg, Horizon Award
Chris England, Call to Conscience Award
Mary Allen Jolley, Mountaintop Award
2019
Byron Pitts, speaker
Quinvarlio S. Kelly, Jr., Horizon Award
Steven D. Anderson, Call to Conscience Award
Charles Steele, Jr., Mountaintop Award
2018
Danny Glover, speaker
Marissa Navarro, Horizon Award
Ellen Griffith, Call to Conscience Award
Frank Dukes, Mountaintop Award
2017
John Quiñones, speaker
Fan Yang, Horizon Award
Isabel Rubio, Call to Conscience Award
Wendell Paris, Mountaintop Award
2016
Douglas Jones, speaker
Elliot Spillers, Horizon Award
Theresa Burroughs, Call to Conscience Award
William Baxley, Mountaintop Award
2015
Juan Williams, speaker
Tyler Merriweather, Horizon Award
Ken W. Swindle, Call to Conscience Award
Arthur L. Bacon, Mountaintop Award
2014
John Cochran, speaker
Melanie Gotz, Horizon Award
Cleophus Thomas, Jr., Call to Conscience Award
E. Roger Sayers, Mountaintop Award
2013
Cynthia Tucker, speaker
Lubna Alansari, Horizon Award
Michael Culver, Call to Conscience Award
Paula Sue Burnum-Hayes, Mountaintop Award
2012
Terri Sewell, speaker
Gwendolyn Ferreti, Horizon Award
Bryan Fair, Call to Conscience Award
Nimrod Quintus Reynolds, Mountaintop Award
2011
Hank Klibanoff, speaker
Sean Hudson, Horizon Award
Harrison Taylor, Call to Conscience Award
William H. Lanford, Mountaintop Award
2010
Trudier Harris, speaker
Jerria Martin, Horizon Award
Dorothy McDade, Call to Conscience Award
Ella Odessa Warrick, Mountaintop Award
2009
Artur Davis, speaker
Kendra Key, Horizon Award
Walt Maddox, Call to Conscience Award
Thomas W. Linton, Mountaintop Award