Civil Rights Institute apologizes over Angela Davis
Updated 2:59 PM; Posted 2:29 PM
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has issued an apology for its handling of the withdrawal of an award for Angela Davis. (Jake May)
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By
Greg Garrison | ggarrison@al.com
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute today issued an apology for its handling of the withdrawal of its top award for controversial activist Angela Davis.
“Each member of the Board of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute deeply regrets the impact that the handling of the Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award has had on Dr. Angela Davis, the City of Birmingham, and many others who have been impacted by our handling of the award,” the board said in a public statement. “We are sorry.”
The apology comes after
Birmingham Mayor Randal Woodfin chastised the board last week.
“We acknowledge that the culmination of our decisions and actions has caused division in the community and compromised the good name of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on the world stage,” the statement from the board said. "Regardless of the outcome of our vote, many have rightfully questioned our selection process, which we vow to improve. In hindsight, more time, conversation and consideration of diverse viewpoints should have informed our decision to rescind our nomination, and we were silent for too long afterward. Again, we accept responsibility and are sorry.
“There are many lessons we already are learning from this situation. In the coming weeks, we will take steps to learn even more. We ask you to still maintain your support of the Institute as we attempt to regain your trust and learn from this experience. Thank you.”
For full coverage of
the Angela Davis controversy, click here.