Wilbur Awards 2018
Winners of the 2018 Wilbur Awards from Religion Communicators Council gathered for a photo. See the full list of winners on the website, http://www.religioncommunicators.org/wilbur-awards
ATLANTA - Days after the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his birthplace of Atlanta, notably the heart of the South with a complicated history of race, equality, and justice, the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) celebrated the winners of the 2018 Wilbur Awards.
RCC announced 22 Wilbur Award winners March 5. The awards honor the creative journalistic excellence by individuals in secular media - print and online journalism, book publishing, broadcasting, and motion pictures - in communicating religious, social justice, and political issues, values and themes in culture during 2017.
The evening was hosted by M. Alexis Scott, journalist, political commentator, and Atlanta community leader.
Stories ranging from the treatment and perception of Muslims in America, sanctuary for immigrants, the hypocrisy of religious freedom when not offered entirely to non-Christian faiths, and more provided new insights to viewers and readers on the state of race through the eyes of faith and religion.
BuzzFeed News, Buzzfeed's online journalism portal, won two awards featuring stories about Muslims and their lives in America. "Thank you to RCC for the coolest looking award in journalism," said Hannah Allum, BuzzFeed News reporter. She continued "thank you to Muslim Americans for inviting me into your homes and sharing your fear, anxiety, and also your resilience."
Ahmed Ali Akbar, BuzzFeed's host of the "See Something Say Something" podcast, offered a look at the diversity of Muslims dealing with the life challenges that are similar to those in every other walk of life from relationships, dating, human sexuality, and where faith intersects.
The injustices faced in varying communities was also lifted up through Stakes is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America by the Rev. Michael W. Waters. In his acceptance speech, Waters noted that he and his family had recently made the journey to "brutal spaces" of the civil rights movement in hopes that they can be transformed into places of joy and love in honor of the anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. "It has been a sovereign journey, and also a journey of resistance."
Waters also carved space in his acceptance speech to commemorate the "nine precious souls who were taken from us from Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina."
As the evening progressed, the audience was engaged with highlights of stories that celebrated forgiveness, redemption, peace and justice, love, and mental health in a variety of places and through the lens of very different walks of life.
The 2018 Wilbur Award winners join a particular class of alumni that include names such as Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Pauley, Mister Rogers, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC's 20/20, Meet the Press, Vanity Fair, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the New York Times. Each winner is awarded a beautiful stained glass trophy to commemorate their achievement.
See the full list of 2018 Wilbur Award recipients on the Religion Communicators website.