Dr. Clarence B. Jones
Wintertime Soldier Award
2021 Award Recipients
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner
CEO and Co-Founder
Skinner Leadership Institute
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Richard Rothstein
Distinguished Fellow
Economic Policy Institute
Senior Fellow (emeritus) Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
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Dr. Richard Harris
Professor
Southeastern University
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Assistant Pastor
Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Dr.
John M. Perkins
President Emeritus
The John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation
Latasha Morrison
Founder and President
Be The Bridge
About the Award
While Dr. Clarence Jones was traveling with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the two young men began to form a close bond — King was just three years older than Jones, and also had young children. Jones remembered one trip in 1962 to Albany, Ga., in particular.
“We were sharing a room in the home of the leaders of the Albany Movement, Martin was sitting on one of the beds in the room, untying his shoes. He looked up at me and said: “You know, Clarence, you and Stanley (Levison) are like wintertime soldiers.’
“I looked at him quizzically, and before I could speak, Martin continued. ‘Anyone can stand with you in the warm summer sunlight of August. Only a wintertime soldier stands with you at midnight in the alpine chill of winter.’
“When I finally understood what he had said, I began to choke up and I said something to the effect that I didn’t know whether or not I measured up to that description. Years later, I concluded that Martin, as well-read as he was, must have been thinking about Tom Paine’s famous words in 1776: ‘These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.’ ”
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Criteria
The Faith & Prejudice Wintertime Soldier Award will be given annually to an individual, scholar, pastor, local church or church network that embodies Dr. Clarence Jones’ commitment to the work of racial equity and social justice for all. This award seeks to recognize the significant contributions made by recipients over a sustained period of time (minimum of five years) to promote racial equity and social justice across the criminal justice, education, health, and economic systems.
Categories of demonstrated leadership and impact should be evidenced in any or all of the following areas:
1. Education: work that enhances the social justice competency of Christians, including individuals and/or parishioners, staff, and/or constituents at the recipient's institution or local community.
2. Creative Work or Research: creative work or innovative research that advances Christian’s understanding of racial inequities in the recipient’s field of study and/or has the potential to improve the awareness of racial inequities and change statistical outcomes in the recipient’s local community, church, denomination, region or nationally.
3. Collective Action: organization of activities that positively impact racial inequity at the local, state, regional or national level and raise Christian’s collective awareness about systemic injustice in America in an effort to improve the wellbeing of disenfranchised communities in America.
4. Advocacy: demonstrating visible, vocal, sustained leadership in raising awareness about the history and impact of systemic racism and inequality in America.