About the Celebration

The late Dr. Ethel H. Hall, a native of Decatur, Alabama, was widely known as a community activist who championed the cause of public education. Dr. Hall became the first African-American female to serve as vice president of the Alabama State Board of Education (ASBE), a position she held for 10 consecutive terms.  In 2004 after representing board district for for 23 years, she was honored by ASBE as Vice President Emerita.

A distinguished educator, Hall was known as an advocate for students as well as educators statewide. As a member of the state board, she served with integrity and was described as a member who always “does her homework” when deciding on key issues. Hall also was a dedicated community servant. She served on the board of directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the National Conference of Community and Justice, the Women’s Exchange, Birmingham Museum of Art, and the Alabama Archives and History Foundation. She has also held positions with the Education Commission of the States, the Governor’s Commission on Instructional Improvement and Academic Excellence, and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. Hall is the recipient of more than 200 honors and awards including being named by the “Birmingham Business Journal” as one of the Top Ten Women Making a Difference and in 1999 was awarded the NASBE Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of State Boards of Education. In 2010, she authored the book My Journey: A Memoir of the First African American to Preside Over the Alabama Board of Education.

Hall received her bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M University, master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and Atlanta University, and her PhD from The University of Alabama. She taught in the public school systems in Hale and Jefferson counties. She also was an associate professor at the University of Montevallo and The University of Alabama.

Hall was married to the late Alfred Hall for 55 years.

2024

Challenging Narratives: Stories of Social Work and Mass Incarceration
Dr. Maria Morrison, LICSW, Senior Social Worker, Equal Justice Initiative, and Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Saint Louis

2023

Promoting Maternal Health: Understanding and Addressing Racial Disparities in Alabama Tish Gotell Faulks, Legal Director, ACLU Alabama
Honour McDaniel, Director of Maternal Health & Infant Health Initiatives, March of Dimes Alabama; Trendle Samuels, Perinatal Coordinator, Alabama Department of Public Health; Heather Skanes, OB-GYN, Oasis Women’s Health, Birmingham; Dione King, Associate Professor, UAB

2022

2022 Reimagining Criminal Justice: Changing the Narrative
Kemba Smith Pradia, Founder of Kemba Smith Foundation and Author of “Poster Child”

2021

Ubuntu: How Our Actions are Interconnected
Dr. Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, President, NASW, The John E. & Barbara S. Jacob Inaugural Endowed Professor at Howard University, School of Social Work

2020
Own Your Vote: Social Change Through Active Collaboration
T. Marie King, Local Voices Network (Birmingham)

2019
Seeking Social Justice in Education through Community Collaboration
Ben Sciacca, Director of Leadership Development for Desire Street Ministries

2018
Surviving Criminal Justice in America
Anthony Ray Hinton, Community Educator at the Equal Justice Initiative

2017
Innovating Gang Violence Prevention with Qualitative Analysis and National Language Processing
Dr. Desmond Patton, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Columbia University

2016
An Observation of the Developmental Histories of the National Urban League Movement and Social Work Practice
Dr. Clinton E. Dye Jr., President and CEO Human Service Systems

2015
Tuscaloosa’s Civil Rights Heritage
Reverend Thomas Linton and Mr. Maxie Thomas

2014
Sisters in the Movement: The Role of Women in Civil Rights Then and Now
Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey and Theresa Burroughs

2013
Fighting Hate, Teaching Tolerance, Seeking Justice: The Southern Poverty Law Center
Lecia J. Brooks, Outreach Director, Southern Poverty Law Center

2012
A History of Racial Inequality: A Social Work Response
Larry E. Davis, Dean, PhD, School of Social Work, University of
Pittsburgh

2011
Desegregation: A Personal Perspective
Timothy A. Davis, Deputy Director for Programs, Alabama
Department of Youth Services (DYS)

2010
Living the Dream: One Woman’s African American Heritage
City Councilwoman Angela Benjamin, Selma, Alabama

2009
Community Organization and the Social Work Professor
Harriett I. Means, PhD, Department of Human Services, Troy University; Elbert L. Means, Community Activist

2008
Honoring our Own: Social Workers Involved in the Civil Rights Movement
Phyllis Alston, MSW, On-Site Coordinator, MSW Program Montgomery; H. James Chapman, former assistant student president, Selma Movement

2007
From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas
Judge U.W. Clemon, Northern District of Alabama

2006
Poverty, Criminal Justice, and the Need for Reform in Alabama
Bryan Stephenson, Director, Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama

2005
Celebrating 100 Years of the Niagara Movement
Mr. Cleophus Thomas, Attorney at Law, A.G. Gaston Corporation, Trustee Emeritus, The University of Alabama Board of Trustees

2004
Visions from the Past, Visions to the Future…The Struggle Continues
Ms. Lynn Tobola, Coordinator of Instructional Resources, School of Social Work, University of Alabama; Dr. Cassandra Simon, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Alabama; Dr. Amilcar Shabazz, Assistant Professor, Director, African American Studies Program, University of Alabama; Mr. Atokie Boman, President, African American Graduate Student Association; Ms. Audrey Ellis, MSW, LCSW, Social Work Coordinator, Tuscaloosa City School System; Dr. Jerry Rosiek, Assistant Professor, Educational Studies in Psychology, University of Alabama; Dr. Carol Drolen, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of Alabama; Ms. Brandynicole Brooks, President, Social Work Association for Cultural Awareness

2003
Beyond Hatred and Racism: Embracing Our Humanity and Our Diversity
Dr. Shirley Wesley King, President and Co-Founder of Southwest Behavioral Systems, Inc. (SWBS), Dallas, Texas

2002
The Civil Rights Movement Freedom Riders
Mr. Hezekiah Watkins and Mr. Fred Douglas, Freedom Riders

2001
Race Awareness at the Millennium
Dr. Leon Chestang, Distinguished Professor, Wayne State University

2000
Building on Our Heritage: Forging a Brighter Future
Ms. Kathy Sawyer, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation

1999
Development of a Sense of Self for the Black Child and Bi-Racial Children of Black/White Parentage
Dr. Dorcas Bowles, Dean, Clark Atlanta University

1998
Finding Early African American Social Workers
Dr. N. Yolanda Burwell, East Carolina University

1997
Reflections on the African American Helping Tradition
Dr. William L. Pollard, Syracuse University

1996
The Past We Inherit, The Future We Create
Dr. Morris F. X. Jeff, New Orleans, Louisiana

1995
The Haynes Family in Social Work and Social Welfare
Dr. Iris B. Carlton-LaNey, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1994
Social Work at Crossroads: An African American Perspective Shattering Myths and Sharing Realities
Dr. Sarah Virgo Kirk, North Carolina A & T University

1993
The African American Social Worker: Celebrating Our Past in the Quest for a New Beginning
Dr. Barbara W. White, University of Texas at Austin

1992
Historical Perspectives on Social Work and the African American Experience
Dr. Barbara Solomon, University of Southern California

1991
Moving Beyond Pathology in the 21st Century: Diversity in African American Families
Dr. Lawrence E. Gary, Howard University/ Virginia Commonwealth University

1990
The Odyssey of African Americans: Implications for Social Work
Dean Hubert E. Jones, Boston University

1989
Reflections on the Civil Rights Era
Attorney Arthur Shores, City of Birmingham