Fred D. Gray is one of the nation's most notable civil rights attorneys. At the age of twenty-four, he provided legal counsel for Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He represented the Freedom Riders, the Selma-to-Montgomery Marchers, and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study participants. Gray also won numerous school desegregation and voting rights lawsuits, which have contributed to changes in America's social fabric. His autobiography, "Bus Ride to Justice," which provides an account of his life and work, was published in 1994, and a revised edition was released in 2012.
Gray was one of the first African Americans to serve in the Alabama Legislature since reconstruction, serving as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1971 to 2015. In 2001, he became the first African American elected as president of the Alabama State Bar Association. He served as the 43rd president of the National Bar Association in 1985. Gray is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, American College of Trial Lawyers, and International Society of Barristers. His extensive contributions to the field of law have been recognized by numerous institutions. He received the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit from the Washington Bar Association, Harvard University Law School’s Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion; the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award, the Federal Bar Association’s Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award, and the Spirit of Excellence Award. He was also awarded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's Drum Major Award in 1980 and the National Bar Association's C. Frances Stradford Award.
In June 2012, Lipscomb University awarded Gray an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters during a gala event as part of the 32nd annual Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars’ Conference. In addition to this, he was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Alabama School of Law and Princeton University in 2022. Four years after the recognition from Lipscomb University, the institution renamed its Institute for Law, Justice & Society in his honor. The Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society at Lipscomb University emphasizes Gray’s lifelong commitment to “eradicate racism” through the law. Launched in spring 2007, the Institute, housed in Lipscomb’s College of Leadership & Public Service, is based on the principle that legal change is one of the principal means to effect social change. Students are encouraged to consider America’s legal system from a multidisciplinary perspective for a comprehensive understanding of its mechanisms, practice, and consequences.
In 2022, Attorney Gray received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Joe Biden. The same year, he was also recognized by the NAACP with the William Robert Ming Advocacy Award. Gray's work and contributions to the Civil Rights Movement have been portrayed in various media. He was portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the 2014 film "Selma," Shawn Michael Howard in the 2001 film "Boycott," London Carlisle in the 2016 stage play "The Integration of Tuskegee High School," and Aki Omoshaybi in a 2018 episode of "Doctor Who" titled "Rosa." Gray continues to be an active advocate and speaker, having spoken at Emporia State University in September 2016, and appearing at an exhibition opening about Rosa Parks at the Library of Congress in 2019.
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