About the Higginbotham Awards Gala
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
2021 Honoree: Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Bank of America
The A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award is named in honor of Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., a pioneering civil rights advocate, author and federal appeals court judge. In 2000, the Lawyers’ Committee established the Higginbotham Award to recognize exemplary corporate leadership with respect to advancing diversity and equal opportunity – particularly leadership in recruiting, retaining and promoting minorities in the workplace. The annual presentation of the Higginbotham Award encourages corporations to reflect in their business and charitable practices the spirit of equal opportunity embodied in our constitutional democracy. The Higginbotham celebration is one of the largest gala events in the civil rights community, attracting nearly 1,000 attendees annually. Our virtual reach exceeded 400,000 views in 2020.
Past Honorees
2020 United Parcel Service, Executive Chairman, David P. Abney
2019 Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Co-Heads, Shelley O’Connor and Andy Saperstein
2018 PNC Bank and Chairman, President and CEO, William S. Demchak
2017 The Home Depot and Chairman, CEO and President, Craig Menear
2016 Ernst & Young LLP and Chairman and Managing Partner, Stephen R. Howe, Jr.
2015 Toyota Motor Sales and CEO, James Lentz
2014 Founding Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, William D. Zabel
2013 J.P. Morgan Chase & Co-CEO of the Corporate and Investment Bank, Mike Cavanagh
2012 DuPont and Chair of the Board and CEO, Ellen Kullman
2011 McDonald’s Corporation and Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jim Skinner
2010 Qualcomm Incorporated and CEO, Dr. Paul Jacobs
2009 Microsoft Corporation and CEO, Steve Ballmer
2008 Founder and Publisher of Black Enterprise Magazine, Earl G. Graves, Sr.
2007 Colgate-Palmolive and CEO Reuben Mark and Aetna Inc. and CEO, Ronald A. Williams 2006 Citigroup, Inc. and CEO, Charles Prince
2005 General Electric Company and Chairman and CEO, Jeffrey R. Immelt
2004 BellSouth Corporation and Chairman and CEO, F. Duane Ackerman
2003 PepsiCo Inc. and CEO, Steven Reinemund and Fannie Mae and CEO, Franklin D. Raines
2002 United Parcel Service and CEO, Michael L. Eskew
2001 The New York Times Company and CEO, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.
2000 AOL Time Warner and CEO, Gerald M. Levin
About the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
At an historic meeting at the White House in 1963, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy challenged 244 of America’s prominent attorneys to spearhead the cause for equal justice. The Lawyers’ Commitiee was founded on that day and has been at the forefront of efforts to advance civil rights ever since.
The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law, targeting in particular the inequities confronting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities. The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar’s leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity – work that continues to be vital today.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is dedicated to supporting and advancing diversity within its workforce and board. Because our commitment to diversity and inclusion is inextricably linked to our pursuit of equal justice for all, we strive to work with a broad and diverse coalition of partner organizations.
