Fred Gray Honored with Statue in Montgomery for Civil Rights Legacy
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Legendary attorney Fred Gray, hailed as the “chief counsel” of the Civil Rights Movement by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., was honored with a statue outside the Alabama State Bar Association on Thursday. At 94, Gray reflected on his remarkable journey from a young boy in Montgomery to a revered legal figure during an emotional unveiling ceremony.
Gray’s legal work has significantly shaped the Civil Rights Movement, having represented prominent leaders such as King, Rosa Parks, and John Lewis. His advocacy allowed activists to leverage civil disobedience and mass arrests to fight for equal rights, prominently during the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965, which paved the way for the Voting Rights Act.
In his speech, Gray expressed gratitude for the many unsung heroes he represented, including Claudette Colvin, who was arrested for defying racial segregation before Parks. He dedicated the honor to those “unknown heroes” whose sacrifices laid the groundwork for change. The statue bears the phrase “lawyers render service,” which Gray coined and is endorsed by the Alabama Bar Association, where he became the first Black president in 2002.
Gray’s storied career includes becoming one of Alabama’s first Black state legislators post-Reconstruction and advocating for victims of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which led to a formal apology from President Bill Clinton in 1997. Currently, he is involved in efforts to remove a Confederate monument in Tuskegee.
Reflecting on the court system’s shortcomings, Gray vowed to persist in the fight for justice, inspired by his faith and family support. In 2022, he received the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, reaffirming his status as a pillar of civil rights advocacy.
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