Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Board of Directors
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Board of Directors is an independent body of volunteers appointed to operate the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in downtown Birmingham's Civil Rights District.
The board was created in 1990 by the Birmingham City Council. It originally had 15 members, tasked initially with raising funds to construct the museum and institute. Odessa Woolfolk was president of the first board, which adopted the mission statement and exhibition program recommended by her previous Civil Rights Institute Task Force. In addition to private donations, the board oversaw the disbursement of capital from revenue bonds issued in 1991 by the Historical Preservation Authority of Birmingham.
As the Institute building neared completion in 1992, the board entered into an operating agreement with the City of Birmingham to operate the facility, along with the nearby Carver Theatre and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
In the 2010s the BCRI Board adopted a "Vision 2020" strategic plan which included goals of doubling the number of visitors to the institute, promoting the newly-created Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, facilitating quality programs, and securing the health and national importance of the organization.
In late 2018 the board voted to rescind the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award due to controversial stances held by the announced recipient, Angela Davis. Backlash for the decision led to three resignations from the board before another vote reinstated the award. In early 2019 the board announced that it would expand from 9 to 21 members. 19 members of the new board were announced in August of that year.
Board members
2018
- Isaac Cooper (2016-)
- Rosilyn Houston
- Danny Markstein
- J. John Oros Jr
- Jonathan Porter
- Thomas Wilder Jr
2019–2020
- Isaac Cooper, chair
- Cassandra Adams, vice chair
- Danny Markstein, vice chair
- Richard Rice, secretary
- Angela McKenzie, treasurer
- Carlos Alemán, 2020
- Tamera Coyne-Beasley
- Nyesha Cheyenne Black
- William Burgess III
- Yolanda Clayton
- Robert Dickerson
- Daryl Grant
- Rosilyn Houston
- J. John Oros Jr
- Jonathan Porter
- John Saxon
- David Thomas
- Gwendolyn Webb
- Thomas Wilder Jr
2022
References
- Huebner, Michael (January 18, 2009) "Institute created through struggle, much like the story it preserves." The Birmingham News
- Huebner, Michael (January 31, 2013) "Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's mission of diplomacy, education and human rights having a global impact." The Birmingham News
- Johnson, Roy S. (January 27, 2019) "Civil Rights Institute CEO talks ‘lessons learned’ from Davis turmoil, meeting with protesters" The Birmingham News
- Beahm, Anna (March 20, 2019) "Birmingham Civil Rights Institute seeking to fill 21 seats on board of directors." The Birmingham News
- Beahm, Anna (August 27, 2019) "Here are the 19 members of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s new board of directors." The Birmingham News