Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation Awards Commemorates Achievements

The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation is hosting its second annual Uplift Awards fundraiser to honor the legacy of community members who serve Tuscaloosa, blaze a trail, and strive to achieve their goals of making a difference personally and professionally.

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The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation is set to host its second annual Uplift Awards fundraiser, a significant event to celebrate local community members' enduring contributions.

The event is scheduled for Friday, September 13, at the Tuscaloosa River Market. Doors will open at 11:00 a.m., and the event will begin at 11:30 a.m.

This initiative highlights individuals who have consistently served Tuscaloosa, pioneered new paths, and demonstrated unwavering dedication to effecting meaningful change in their personal and professional lives.

"When the Foundation started, the members recognized the immediate need to capture and preserve the personal stories of foot soldiers of the Tuscaloosa movement while they were still able to share," states Tim Lewis, co-president of the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation. "We are committed to shining a spotlight on the people and events of the movement that shaped our history and created the path to our future. When you think of civil rights, you think of Selma, Montgomery, or Birmingham. But Tuscaloosa has its own story to tell. The Foundation is memorializing the legacy of four Tuscaloosans by giving awards in their names to people who have made a difference in the West Alabama community."

“Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite or the Foundation’s Facebook page,” said the press release.

2024 Winners

Rev. Thomas Linton Perseverance Award

Mr. Maxie Thomas

Rev. T. Y. Rogers Jr. Trail Blazer Award

Mr. Charles Steele Jr.

Mr. Bill Buchanan Service Award

Mrs. Shelley Jones (posthumous)

Dr. Myrtle E. Gray Outstanding Youth Award

Central High School Student Miss Peyton Ike

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"With the opening of the downtown Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Trail in 2019, we are able to tell the stories of those who came before us and made a difference in our community," Lewis says. "But our journey never ends. Even to this day, we are fighting for the right to vote, for the equity of our government, and for the voices of those who are most underserved to be heard. One of our awards that we present is for an outstanding student. We are also honoring at this year's Uplift Awards the students from Druid High School and Stillman College who participated in the movement. It is the youth that we must depend on, to carry the torches and ensure that our community offers the same opportunities to all with the same amount of respect.”