NEW YORK — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law hosted its 2026 Higginbotham Leadership Awards Gala on September 23 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, honoring leaders and advocates whose courage and commitment have advanced racial justice, protected voting rights and expanded opportunity for Black people and other communities of color.
This year, the Lawyers’ Committee honored Stacey Abrams, activist, author and the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history with its Robert F. Kennedy Justice Prize. The organization also presented its Courageous Client Award to Mamie Cunningham, on behalf of the clients in Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP v. Mississippi State Board of Election Commissioners, in recognition of their fight to ensure Black voters in Mississippi have a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.
“The people we honored this year demonstrate what it means to meet a difficult moment with courage, persistence and an unwavering belief in our collective power,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Stacey Abrams has spent years expanding pathways for people to exercise their voice and power, while our courageous clients in Mississippi stood up for their communities and refused to accept a political system that diminished Black voting power. At a time when hard-won civil rights protections are under attack, their leadership reminds us that progress has never simply been given to us. It has always required people willing to stand up, fight back and build something better.”
“This year’s gala was a celebration of the powerful civil rights coalition we’ve built, and it marked our re-commitment to fighting for the futures our communities deserve,” said Shaylyn Cochran, deputy executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Stacey Abrams and our Mississippi clients have worked tirelessly in pursuit of a fairer, truly representative democracy. They continue to shape the roadmap for protecting Black political power. We honor their contributions and will draw inspiration from their resolve as we face these ongoing challenges.”
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