Activists Call for Resignations After Davis Controversy
Local activists called for leaders of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to resign Monday after the organization canceled plans to honor human rights advocate Angela Davis. The group planned to present Davis with the prestigious Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award next month.
The Civil Rights Institute announced in October it would honor Davis, a Birmingham native and prominent political scholar. The board says it rescinded the award after determining Ms. Davis’ statements and public record do not “meet all of the criteria on which the award is based.”
Davis was a member of the Black Panther and Communist parties. She was a vocal critic of the Israeli government’s policies toward Palestinians.
Davis grew up in a Birmingham community called Dynamite Hill, so named because the Ku Klux Klan frequently bombed the homes of blacks lawyers, business owners and leaders who lived there in the civil rights era.
The author of 10 books, Davis has lectured throughout the United States and in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. Her works address the social problems associated with incarceration, poverty and race. In the early 1970s, she spent 18 months in jail and on trial after being placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List.”
Frank Matthews, a Birmingham activist, says the BCRI disrespected Davis. He says leaders today should reflect the character, energy and activism of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, a leader of the Birmingham Civil Rights movement. He called on current leadership of the institute to step down.
“We need a new director – one with some courage to stand up and not be just a silent pretty voice going for anything,” Matthews says. “She should have stood up if she meant for Angela to be here.”
In October, when the organization announced Davis as the award recipient, Andrea Taylor, president of the BCRI, said the group was thrilled to honor her.
“Arguably, she’s one of the most globally recognized champions of human rights, giving voice to those who are powerless to speak. We believe the late Reverend Shuttlesworth would also have been proud to see this award in his name bestowed upon her,” Taylor said in a prepared statement when the award presentation was initially announced.
The Civil Rights Institute president could not be reached for comment Monday. A statement on the organization’s website says the awards gala has been cancelled and tickets will be refunded.
Davis responded to the controversy late Monday, saying she asked for more substantive details on the board’s decision and learned that her long-term support of justice for Palestinians was at issue.
She says she will visit Birmingham in February to attend an alternative event.
Lori Vallow Daybell convicted of conspiring to kill her estranged husband in 2019
Jurors found Lori Vallow Daybell guilty after deliberating for about three hours, and she faces another possible life sentence on top of the three she is already serving in Idaho.
RFK’s plan to phase out synthetic food dyes could face industry pushback
The health secretary announced a push to eliminate petroleum-based colorants from the food supply. But he'll need to get food companies on board.
As Tesla profits plunge 71%, Elon Musk says he’ll spend less time on DOGE
Elon Musk says he'll cut back his work with the federal government to one to two days per week. He said demand for Teslas is still strong, despite protests and plunging sales.
Judge blocks Trump administration plans to dismantle Voice of America
A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America, the federally funded overseas news outlet.
Supreme Court leans toward parents who object to LGBTQ books in public schools
At the center of the case is the school system in Montgomery County, Md., the most religiously diverse county in the U.S., with 160,000 students of almost all faiths.
Oscar voters actually need to watch the nominated movies now
In an announcement Monday about rules for the next Oscars, the Academy also said that a film's use of generative AI and other digital tools "neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination."
