MONTGOMERY, AL — Legendary attorney Fred D. Gray recounted his involvement in demonstrations and legal battles that blossomed into the Civil Rights Movement, then issued a passionate plea to rejuvenate that work in response to injustices persisting or emerging today. “Seventy years ago, right here in Montgomery, Alabama, the first Civil Rights Movement began. … What we have done these past two days could be the beginning of the Second Civil Rights Movement,” Gray said to thunderous applause Saturday night in Montgomery.
Gray’s “Final Exhortation” capped the inaugural national symposium of the newly established Fred D. Gray Institute for Human and Civil Rights. Attended by more than 200 participants representing more than 20 states, the symposium featured an impressive lineup of speakers and panelists exploring topics such as medical racism, voting rights, gerrymandering, human and civil rights, and equal access to quality education for all.
“Today, right here in Montgomery, Alabama, where it all started, some of the greatest thinkers and practitioners in the law and health and healthcare and education have gathered alongside communities from all over this country,” Gray said, “and we all realize we are facing problems … and want to continue that work that was started 70 years ago. We have come to Montgomery to identify these great injustices and these great problems.”…