The Georgia Institute of Technology is honoring civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis with its Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage. The award, which was presented Thursday in Atlanta, is given annually to individuals who, by asserting moral principle, positively affected public discourse at the risk of their careers, livelihoods and, sometimes, even their lives. Thursday marks the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Lewis was one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. He is the last surviving keynote speaker from the 1963 March on Washington, of which he was a core architect.
Lewis’ impact on civil rights for African-Americans included advocating desegregation laws and voters’ rights. A founding member and president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Lewis planned and led many of their activities. His personal courage was first evident when he led student sit-ins that resulted in the public accommodation of African-Americans at Nashville restaurants. He was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders who challenged legally sanctioned segregation on interstate buses. Despite repeated attacks on his dignity, physical beatings and arrests, Lewis remained staunchly committed to nonviolent work for social change.
The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage is named after Allen, a former mayor of Atlanta and Georgia Tech graduate. In 1963, Mayor Allen testified before Congress in support of what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, risking his place in society and political future. Prior winners include Sam Nunn and William Foege. The Prize is supported in perpetuity through a commitment by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
More information on the Allen Prize can be found at the following link: http://ivanallenprize.gatech.edu/home/. Additional information about Allen can be found here: http://ivanallenprize.gatech.edu/ivan-allen-jr/.
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