Footprints of ten new civil rights icons will be added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame during the 2014 Trumpet Awards events.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday, January 24, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, National Park Service, located at 450 Auburn Avenue (Atlanta, GA). The program preceding the induction ceremony will be held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The ceremonial host for this year’s occasion is Frank Ski with WHUR FM (96.3) Radio in Washington, DC. The program and unveiling of the footprints are free and open to the public.
The 2014 honorees include Bishop John Hurst Adams, The Honorable Roy Barnes, Dr. John Carlos, Dr. Tommie Smith, The Honorable Perry Gladstone Christie (Prime Minister of the Bahamas) , Dr. Norman C. Frances, Harry E. Johnson, Sr., Representative Calvin Smyre, Thomas N. Todd and Rev. Jasper W. Williams, Jr.
The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame was created in 2004 to give recognition to the foot soldiers of justice who sacrificed and struggled to make equality a reality for all. This extraordinary display has become one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city of Atlanta and has enriched the heritage of the civil rights movement. The shoes used to create the footprints will also be on display during the unveiling program.
The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame, now in its tenth year, is sponsored by the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc., and was created and designed by Xernona Clayton, founder and executive producer of the legendary Trumpet Awards. Ms. Clayton states, “This walk of fame tells a phenomenal story about the legacy of this nation. It is a permanent testimony to those who have dedicated themselves to progress of our people and to this nation. Many of the shoes we use in the display remain on exhibition within the Visitors Center for those who visit the King Complex.”
The last inductees in 2012 were Rev. Willie Bolden & JT Johnson and the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers, Rev. Dr. E.T. Caviness, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, Constance W. Curry, Attorney Fred D. Gray, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. and Dr. Walter F. Young. Arthur Blank, James Brown, The Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley, Bishop Neil C. Ellis, Leon Hall, Bishop Barbara King, Marc H. Morial, Mayor Carl Stokes, Congressman Louis Stokes and Henry “Hank” Thomas were inducted in 2011. Congressman James E. Clyburn, Judge Damon J. Keith, The Reverend Samuel Billy Kyles, National Newspaper Publishers Association, Eugene C. Patterson, The Reverend Albert Sampson, Rita Jackson Samuels, and Congresswoman Diane E. Watson were inducted in 2010; The Reverend Dr. C.M. Alexander; Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.; Dr. Erieka Bennett; Roberto Goizueta; Cathy Hughes; Earvin “Magic” Johnson; The Links, Incorporated; the Honorable Sam Massell; the Honorable Ernest N. Morial; Father Michael L. Pfleger; the Reverend Al Sharpton, Congressman William L. Clay, Sr. and the Reverend C. T. Vivian were installed in 2009. Dr. Maya Angelou; Senator Edward W. Brooke; Tyrone L. Brooks, Sr.; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Jesse Hill, Jr.; Dr. Benjamin Hooks; Attorney Clarence B. Jones; Tom Joyner; The Right Honorable Prime Minister Michael Manley; Herman Russell, Sr.; and Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker were installed in 2008. Lerone Bennett, Jr.; Tony Bennett; Marian Wright Edelman; Mayor Shirley Franklin; Attorney Frankie Freeman; Joe Louis; Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.; Sir Lynden Pindling; Sir Sidney Poitier; Dr. Otis W. Smith; Congresswoman Maxine Waters; The Honorable L. Douglas Wilder; and Jean Childs Young were the 2007 assemblage of inductees. Reverend Joseph E. Boone; Reverend William Holmes Borders; Xernona Clayton; President William Clinton; Lena Horne; John E. Jacob; Reverend James Orange; The Honorable Bernard Parks; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and Stevie Wonder were inducted in 2006. Henry Aaron, Ted Turner, Harry Belafonte, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Dick Gregory, Mayor Maynard H. Jackson, Jr., Ralph E. McGill, Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Judge Elbert P. Tuttle, Sr., Nancy Wilson, and Reverend Addie L. Wyatt, inducted in 2005. Juanita J. Abernathy; Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, Sr.; Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.; Julian Bond; President Jimmy Carter; Medgar Evers; Dorothy Height; Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.; Judge Frank M. Johnson; President Lyndon Baines Johnson; Congressman John Lewis; Evelyn G. Lowery; Reverend Joseph E. Lowery; Justice Thurgood Marshall; Rosa Parks; Reverend Hosea Williams; and Ambassador Andrew Young were placed at the site in 2004.
The roll of honorees is growing every year with the addition of other footprints into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
“We will continue to build upon this commemorative memorial to the civil rights struggle that depicts the tireless efforts and passionate concern of these determined individuals,” said Ms. Clayton.
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