On Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Forty-seven years later, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff will help honor several members of the Tuscaloosa community that strive to uphold King’s ideals at the third annual Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet on Jan. 14, according to Richard LeComte of the Office of Media Relations.
Hank Klibanoff was raised in Alabama during the Civil Rights era. After studying at Northwestern University, Klibanoff worked for various newspapers including the Boston Globe, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, according to a biography of Klibanoff. In 2007, his book “The Race Beat,” co-authored with Gene Roberts, won the Pulitzer Prize for history. The book investigates the impact that media coverage had on different groups in the decade before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement.
“A committee selects a speaker for the event each year. Klibanoff’s background drew him to the committee’s attention, and his breadth of work and experience makes him a perfect fit as a speaker for the ceremony,” said Samory Pruitt, one of the organizers of the event.
Klibanoff is currently involved in promoting racial equality by serving as managing editor of the Cold Case Truth and Justice Project. The group strives to advocate for the many people who died due to racial murders during the Civil Rights Movement, according to the project’s official website. Klibanoff helps solve these unsolved crimes by investigating newspaper articles, photographs, video footage and other media from the era.
“The theme of the events is ‘Reflect and Rejoice,’” said Linda Grote, an event organizer. “Klibanoff will likely tailor his comments to that theme: reflecting on the past, yet rejoicing in the present and future of Martin Luther King’s legacy.”
In addition to Klibanoff’s speech, Sean Hudson, a sophomore, will be honored with the Realizing the Dream Horizon Award at the banquet. The award is given each year to a young adult who has made significant contributions in his or her community through advocating racial and social equality and striving for peace.
Hudson grew up as a foster child in Bessemer, Alabama. He is currently studying social work and psychology and wants to become a family court judge. Since coming to the University, Hudson has held many leadership positions such as vice president of Phi Eta Sigma, Assistant Director of St. Jude Collegiate Board and a clerk for the Student Government Student Judiciary Board. He has also received numerous honors such as becoming a McNair Scholar and Parent Ambassador, Hudson said.
“My determination and will, despite my background, have shined through my academics, extracurricular activities and accolades,” Hudson said. “However, I am not doing this for the attention, but rather for my foster brothers and sisters…to give them hope that they too can make it.”
“The Realizing the Dream Horizon Award is not my award alone,” he said. “It is the award for all the people who have inspired me in my life, all of my 400-plus family members and counting.”
The Legacy Banquet, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Realizing the Dream Committee and the Tuscaloosa Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will be held at the Hotel Capstone at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14. Tickets are $25 per individual or $150 for a table of eight. More information can be found on the UA News website.
If You Go
What: Realizing the Dream Legacy Banquet
When: Friday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Hotel Capstone
Cost: $25 per individual, $150 for a table of eight
