TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Stillman College stood united with the City of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation on Sept. 13 to honor our local civil rights history at the second annual Uplift Awards, presented by the foundation. The 2024 ceremony, hosted at Tuscaloosa’s River Market, was focused on honoring the students of Tuscaloosa’s civil rights movement, in which Stillman College was a central figure.
Following an invocation from Dr. Mark McCormick, provost, Stillman College’s eighth president, Dr. Yolanda W. Page, offered a welcome on behalf of the only four-year historically black college and university (HBCU) in West Alabama.
“Today is a celebration of progress, a reflection on our ongoing struggles, and a call to action for each of us. Today is a reminder that civil rights are not just historical milestones; they are the foundation upon which we build a more equitable present and future,” Page told the crowd. “Together we must ensure that justice and equality are not just ideals but lived realities for everyone.”
Stillman College alumni Tommy Woods (’63), Dr. Richard Ashe (’63), Willie Mae Wells (’64), Merjo H. Merriweather (’64), and Alice B. Hamilton (’67) were among those honored for their roles as Stillman students during Tuscaloosa’s civil rights, especially on Bloody Tuesday. More than 500 people, including students from Stillman College and Druid High School, gathered on Tuesday, June 9, 1964 for a planned peaceful march from First African Baptist Church to the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse. The day later became known as “Bloody Tuesday” after those involved were attacked at the church by law enforcement and a mob of white citizens. Bloody Tuesday participants were also honored during the Uplift Awards ceremony.
TCRF presented four awards during the event. Shelley Jones posthumously received the Mr. Bill Buchanan Service Award, Central High School student Payton Ike received the Dr. Myrtle E. Gray Outstanding Youth Award, and Charles Steele received the T.Y. Rogers, Jr. Trail Blazer Award. The final award of the day went to Maxie Thomas, recipient of the Rev. Thomas Linton Perseverance Award, which is named for Linton (’54), a Stillman alumnus who owned Howard-Linton Barbershop, a central destination in the city’s civil rights history. Steele, the CEO of Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the first African-American elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council, holds an honorary doctorate of humane letters degree from Stillman.
The Stillman College Choir, under the direction of Jocqueline K. Richardson, began its fall tour schedule by performing renditions of “For Ev’ry Mountain” (Kurt Carr) and “We Shall Overcome” (arr. Shelton Ridge Love) at the event. Stillman academic advisor and alumnus Thomas L. Davis, Jr. (’14) also performed during the ceremony, singing “A Change Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke).
Stillman College employees Mason Bonner and Rev. Thaddeus Steele were members of the 2024 Uplift Awards Partnership and Advancement Committee.
The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Foundation, a 501c3 organization, carries out its mission to preserve local civil rights material, physical sites and personal stories, while enhancing tourism through Tuscaloosa’s downtown Civil Rights Trail.
