The Inaugural Fred Gray Institute for Human and Civil Rights Inaugural National Symposium was held on March 14-15, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. MSP President Dr. Brian Stogner, Board Chair Dr. Tanya Martin, Clinical Training Coordinator Carol Hanson, and Director of Student Services Carrie Pyeatt were all in attendance. Dr. Stogner also served as the lead conversant for the symposium’s education panel.
A core value at the heart of MSP and the field of Psychology is respect for the rights, dignity, and value of every person. One way that MSP and other organizations attempt to live into that value is to pay particular attention to people whose rights and dignity have been overlooked, devalued, or violated. The work of the American Civil Rights Movement has been a historically significant example of that focused priority. One of the great, and often largely unsung, heroes of that Movement is the renowned civil rights attorney, Fred Gray. Gray’s estimable legal career has included, among other noteworthy achievements, arguing before the US Supreme Court, representing Rosa Parks, advocating for the rights of the participants of the horrific Tuskegee syphilis studies and their families, and serving as the primary legal representation for Martin Luther King, Jr.
Today, at the age of ninety-four, Fred Gray still possesses an acute memory, a sharp legal mind, and a fiery commitment to the cause of civil rights. To cement his legacy and continue his work in the challenging times in which we live, Gray and some of his close colleagues have established the Fred Gray Institute for Human and Civil Rights. In mid-March, the Institute formally kicked off its vital work with the Institute’s Inaugural National Symposium, in Montgomery, Alabama. This historic event included experts and panelists in the areas of education, medical ethics, and voting rights, and featured famed civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson as the keynote speaker. Individuals from MSP’s board, staff, and administration participated in the conference and helped lead the discussion that focused on education rights and access. (See Fredgrayinstitute.org for a detailed description of the conference.) The purpose of the event was to launch meaningful and substantive dialogue around these important issues, and begin the development of action plans to effect needed changes and progress.
At the conclusion of the Symposium, Fred Gray delivered a stirring address, harkening back to the beginnings of what he described as “the first civil rights movement,” which he traced to the events and aftermath of the March, 1965 “Bloody Sunday” demonstration at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and the brutal attack that day on civil rights workers. In addition to reviewing this essential history and the important role he played in it, Gray called for a “second civil rights movement” to emerge in the present day from the work begun at the Symposium.
The work of justice, human rights, inclusion, and belonging is immense and always unfinished. The toll on the mental and physical health of individuals denied these basic rights and marginalized or oppressed by societal forces is well documented in the scholarly literature of psychology. The Michigan School of Psychology is proud to partner with the Fred Gray Institute in this important work. If the movement of which Gray spoke is to progress, people and organizations must continue the dialogue that the Symposium generated, and join hands in working toward meaningful solutions to the challenges faced by people of color and other marginalized people groups. In the days ahead, MSP will work to deepen its engagement and partnership with the Institute and its work, as well as foster connections with other institutions of higher education and organizations committed to these efforts. As this important work develops, updates and information about MSP’s involvement in it will be provided in this space. We invite you and all people of good will to join us in these endeavors.
Michigan School of Psychology President
Brian L. Stogner, PhD
