34th Anniversary Celebration
2026 Fred L. Shuttlesworth
Human Rights Award Presentation
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
ALABAMA'S 14 HBCUs
Alabama A&M University ᐧ Alabama State University ᐧ Bishop State Community College ᐧ Gadsden State Community College ᐧ J.F. Drake State Technical College ᐧ Lawson State Community College ᐧ Miles College ᐧ Oakwood University ᐧ Selma University ᐧ Shelton State Community College ᐧ Stillman College ᐧ Talladega College ᐧ Trenholm State Community College ᐧ Tuskegee University
2026 Fred L. Shuttlesworth
Human Rights Award Recipients
IN OUR OWN WORDS
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
For 34 years, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has been entrusted with preserving history: the artifacts, photographs, documents, and stories that help us understand Birmingham’s place in the ongoing pursuit of freedom.
As we look toward the Institute’s next chapter, we are thinking just as intentionally about what it means to use our voice.
Institutions like ours provide the context, care, dignity, and nuance our stories deserve. We make space for stories that have gone untold, and we ensure the people closest to this history have the power to shape how it is understood. There are still so many stories to tell.
They live in our collections, our oral histories, our community, our elders, and the generations carrying them with them.
thank you to our generous sponsors:
About the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award
Named after one of Birmingham’s most courageous civil rights leaders, this award recognizes individuals whose work advances the cause of civil and human rights around the world. Established in 2002, the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award serves as an enduring tribute to Rev. Shuttlesworth’s legacy of leadership, courage, and conviction.
This award is a public recommitment to the values that defined Shuttlesworth’s life and Birmingham’s pivotal role in the global fight for justice. It affirms that the struggle for civil and human rights is not a relic of the past, but a living legacy that demands ongoing courage and collective action.
In a time when history is being challenged, restricted, or erased, the Institute remains a steadfast defender of truth. By uplifting those who carry the work forward, the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award ensures that Birmingham’s story continues to inspire and call others to action.
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