Allen Media Group announced that Daryl Atkinson, co-founder and co-director of Forward Justice, is the inaugural recipient of theGrio Heroes Award.
Atkinson will be featured Monday on theGrio.com and on theGrio Television Network with Eboni K. Williams at 6 p.m. and Marc Lamont Hill at 7 p.m. He will also be on TheGrio Daily Podcast with Michael Harriot.
Forward Justice is an advocacy group focused on law, policy and strategy to combine community activism with litigation, public policy and scholarship.
“TheGrio Hero award recognizes an individual who has made significant strides in making America stronger, more just and compassionate,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of theGrio parent company, Allen Media Group. “Daryl Atkinson exemplifies the values and spirit of this award, and we are honored to highlight his extraordinary contributions to the country and to humanity as a whole.”
Atkinson was the lead attorney in the seminal felony disenfranchisement case, Community Success Initiative v. Moore, that challenged North Carolina’s felony disenfranchisement policies. Atkinson and Forward Justice were the central advocates that ushered in the passage of the Second Chance Act, landmark legislation that makes the expungement process easier giving formerly incarcerated people equal access to opportunities for housing, education and employment.
”If I can use the law as a tool to instill hope and to inspire more leaders to join the army of the people who have been wronged--then that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” said. Atkinson. “That’s why we started Forward Justice and we’re grateful to be recognized.”
