Stephanie Wolf

Supporters say anti-racist initiatives in schools make white students feel guilty, and promote a “victimhood” mindset among students of color. But some Black students and their parents are worried these bills threaten to roll back progress.

In 1897, Woodson enrolled in Berea College in Kentucky, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in literature. Yet, he spent much of that time outside Kentucky. Jessica Klanderud, director of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education at Berea College, shares why.

Other 2022 awardees include actor Will Smith, New York Times reporter and 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, civil rights activist and politician Stacey Abrams, and the late actress Cicely Tyson.