In a powerful closing session of the UNCF UNITE 2025 Summit, Illya Davis, Director of Freshmen and Seniors’ Academic Success at Morehouse College and a respected voice in Africana philosophy and Black intellectual traditions, led an unforgettable fireside chat with Judy Richardson, civil rights veteran, educator, and producer of the seminal documentary series Eyes on the Prize.
The conversation took place recently in Atlanta as the culminating event of the multi-day summit focused on equity, innovation, and transformation across historically Black colleges and universities. The session was designed not only to reflect on the past but also to reignite purpose and conviction in the work ahead.
Richardson, a former field secretary and activist with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), shared first-hand accounts of grassroots organizing in the Deep South, her work on SNCC’s Freedom Schools, and the strategic debates that helped define the modern civil rights movement.
Rather than settle into nostalgia, Davis invited Richardson into critical reflection—asking whether any lessons, limitations, or critiques from SNCC’s past could inform the urgency of organizing and protest strategies today.
“We often romanticize movements of the past,” Davis said, “but we owe it to this generation to ask what worked, what didn’t, and how we can reimagine resistance for today’s challenges.”
Richardson responded with clarity and conviction, affirming the importance of deeply rooted community engagement, intergenerational collaboration, and long-haul commitment to justice. She also acknowledged that while SNCC’s decentralized leadership model helped amplify diverse voices, it sometimes created friction and slowed decision-making—an instructive lesson for organizers today navigating rapid-response movements in a digital era.
The conversation was widely praised by summit attendees for its depth, spirit, and candor.
“Ms. Richardson’s legacy—spanning SNCC, Eyes on the Prize, and decades of advocacy—deserved a thoughtful, rigorous, and spirit-filled exchange,” read the invitation extended to Davis. “And in your hands, this fireside was more than a closing conversation. It was a call to action.”
The session captured what Morehouse represents at its best: courageous truth-telling, historical responsibility, and forward-facing leadership grounded in the Black freedom tradition.
As the nation continues to grapple with questions of justice, equity, and civic responsibility, voices like Richardson’s—and platforms like UNITE—are vital. Morehouse faculty continue to be recognized as trusted thought leaders in these defining moments of dialogue and transformation—a reflection of the College’s enduring commitment to scholarship in service of justice.