U.W. Clemon received Putting People First Award

MORNING’S SPECIAL PRESENTATION. JOHN. WELL, BRITTANY UW CLEMMONS TRAILBLAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE WELL KNOWN. ONE OF THE STATE’S FIRST BLACK LAWMAKERS SINCE RECONSTRUCTION. A FORCE BEHIND SIGNIFICANT CIVIL RIGHTS CASES AND THE STATE’S FIRST BLACK FEDERAL JUDGE, JUST TO NAME A FEW. WHEN HONORED TODAY, HE STRESSED THE POWER OF THE VOTE HONORABLE UW CLEMENT, WHO, WITH NEARLY 60 YEARS OF LEGAL WORK UNDER HIS BELT, UW CLEMMONS LEGACY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. BUT TODAY, THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM HONORED HIM WITH ITS PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST AWARD. THE RETIRED FEDERAL JUDGE TOOK THE CHANCE TO STRESS THE POWER OF EACH PERSON’S VOTE BECAUSE OF THE VOTE ENDED UP IN THE ALABAMA STATE SENATE. FIRST CITY OVER 100 YEARS. DURING A PANEL DISCUSSION ON VOTING RIGHTS, CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL TOOK A MOMENT TO STRESS THE IMPACT OF TRAILBLAZERS LIKE CLEMON. THEY DIDN’T JUST HAPPEN UPON SELMA, ALABAMA. THEY JUST DIDN’T HAPPEN UPON ALL THE CASES THAT JUDGE CLEMENT HELPED TO FILE IN ALABAMA, LIKE, LIKE TO DESEGREGATE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA. THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN. THEY WERE TACTICIANS. THEY WERE STRATEGISTS ON TOP OF BECOMING ONE OF THE FIRST TWO BLACK STATE SENATORS ELECTED SINCE RECONSTRUCTION BACK IN 1974. THE FAIRFIELD NATIVE BECAME ALABAMA’S FIRST BLACK FEDERAL JUDGE SIX YEARS LATER. HE SERVED ON THE BENCH FOR NEARLY THREE DECADES BEFORE HIS RETIREMENT IN 2009. I ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU, AS I ACCEPT THIS AWARD TO REMAIN DEDICATED TO THE POWER OF THE VOTE BECAUSE IT WILL SET YOU FREE. WELL, TODAY, CLEMENT CLAIMS A PRESIDENT CARTER ACTUALLY HAD BEEN ON THE FENCE ABOUT APPOINTING HIM AS THE STATE’S FIRST BLACK FEDERAL JUDGE. COMING UP AT SIX, HEAR HIM DESCRIBE THE PHONE CAL