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A new collection of Footsteps of Civil Rights Icons will take their place in the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. This 2006 ceremony will be one of the featured events of the Annual Trumpet Awards and is scheduled for Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, National Park Service, located at 450 Auburn Ave. in Atlanta, Ga. The ceremonial host for the event is Frank Ski with WVEE FM (V103) Radio.
Ms. Xernona Clayton holding the shoes used to make the footprints for the Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
Front Row; Left-to-Right:
Reverend Joseph Boone; Reverend William Holmes Borders; Stevie Wonder; John Jacob; and Reverend James Orange.
Second Row; Left-to-Right:
Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr.; Archbishop Desmond Tutu (in Ms. Clayton hands); Xernona Clayton; Bernard Parks; and Lena Horne.
The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame was created in 2004 to give recognition to those valiant soldiers of justice who sacrificed and struggled to make equality a reality for all. This extraordinary display has enhanced the historic value of this geographic area, enriched the cultural heritage, and augmented tourist attractions in the city of Atlanta. The shoes used to create the footsteps will also be on display during the unveiling program.
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The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame will add ten new esteemed civil rights leaders to the Walk of Fame. The 2006 group of inductees include: Reverend Joseph E. Boone; Reverend William Holmes Borders; Xernona Clayton; Lena Horne; John E. Jacob; Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr; Reverend James Orange; Bernard Parks; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and Stevie Wonder.
The Walk of Fame is sponsored by the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc., and was created and designed by Xernona Clayton, founder and executive producer of the renowned Trumpet Awards. "This is a lasting monument to those whose contributions were testaments to the fact that human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable," Clayton said.
Footprints from previous years include: Henry Aaron, Ted Turner, Harry Belafonte, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Dick Gregory, Mayor Maynard H. Jackson, Jr., Ralph E. McGill, Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Judge Elbert P. Tuttle, Sr., Nancy Wilson, and Reverend Addie L. Wyatt (2005 inductees). Juanita J. Abernathy; Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, Sr.; Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.; Julian Bond; President Jimmy Carter; Medgar Evers; Dorothy Height; Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.; Frank M. Johnson; President Lyndon Baines Johnson; John Lewis; Evelyn G. Lowery; Reverend Joseph E. Lowery; Justice Thurgood Marshall; Rosa Parks; Hosea Williams; and Ambassador Andrew Young were placed at the site in 2004. Each year more foot soldiers will be added to the Walk of Fame and there are hundreds of additional spaces designated for future placements. "We will build a memorial to the civil struggle that depicts every step taken toward freedom and justice and the tireless exertions and passionate concern of these devoted and determined souls," said Clayton. |
