Celebrating Excellence in the Humanities: The 2023 Alabama Colloquium
On October 23rd, 2023, the Alabama Humanities Alliance hosted its 2023 Alabama Colloquium, presented by Regions. This year the Alabama Humanities Alliance honored our very own namesake, Dr. David Mathews as well as Dr. Imani Perry as the Alabama Humanities Fellows of 2023. Both Dr. Mathews and Dr. Perry are not only renowned scholars but also dedicated community builders.
The Mathews Center is very glad to have participated in this event and also thankful for the opportunity to reconnect with our namesake, Dr. David Mathews. The award Dr. Mathews and Dr. Imani Perry received is the highest humanities honor in the state of Alabama. The honor is reserved for individuals whose lifelong contributions to the humanities have significantly and positively impacted not only the state of Alabama but also the nation and world.
Odessa Woolfolk presented Dr. Imani Perry’s award. Odessa Woolfolk is a former Alabama Humanities Fellow of 1997, civic activist, and educator. She opened up with a wonderful speech about Dr. Imani Perry's achievements. Following Dr. Imani’s award presentation, Dr. Catherine J. Randall presented Dr. David Mathews's award. Dr. Randall gave a wonderfully written speech that was informative and personal on how Dr. David Mathews has impacted so many lives throughout the years.
The Colloquium also featured the presentation of three other awards, the Wayne Greenhaw Service to the Humanities Award, and two AHA Champion of the Humanities Awards. Presented to Lajuana Bradford, W. Edgar Welden, and Medical Properties Trust.
The event concluded with a book signing with Dr. Imani Perry and interactions with Dr. Mathews. The Mathews Center is very proud of both Dr. Perry's and Dr. Mathews' achievements and is honored to have been a part of this extraordinary event. The Alabama Colloquium provided a platform to celebrate the accomplishments of these two distinguished individuals and emphasized the importance of humanities in fostering positive change in our communities.