Joint Center to Present Former President Spencer Overton with Louis E. Martin Great American Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 17, 2024

Contact:
Chandra Hayslett, chandra@jointcenter.org

Joint Center to Present Former President Spencer Overton with Louis E. Martin Great American Award

Past president will be celebrated for his leadership and dedication to elevating the organization to new heights

WASHINGTON —  The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies will honor former Joint Center President Spencer Overton with its highest honor — the 2024 Louis E. Martin Great American Award.

The Louis E. Martin Great American Award recognizes individuals who have made transformational contributions that furthered the promise of America as a land of hope and opportunity for all. The award, first given in 2004, is named in the memory of Louis E. Martin (1912-1997), a principal founder of the Joint Center and the first chair of its board. Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad is expected to present Overton with the award at an Oct. 23 VIP reception. RSVP here.

“Spencer has been an integral part of the Joint Center’s 54-year long history. Through his astute leadership and guidance, he led the Joint Center out of financial hardship, resetting its direction, program work, and operations and ensured its success as a leading think tank for advancing policy debates that support Black communities,” said Asante-Muhammad. “I am grateful to Spencer for his dedication to ensuring the longevity of the Joint Center. As the Joint Center’s newly established leadership, I am excited to honor the legacy of Spencer’s contribution to America’s Black think tank.”

“It’s an honor to receive this year’s Louis E. Martin Great American Award,” said Overton, the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law at The George Washington University. “Since 1970, the Joint Center has been a community of leading thinkers, policymakers, funders, staff, board members, grassroots activists, and others committed to ideas and solutions that empower Black Americans. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work for almost a decade with a diverse, talented, and committed group of people to build on the Joint Center’s legacy and strengthen the institution. In passing the baton to Dedrick, I look forward to the Joint Center’s continued growth and impact in expanding opportunities for future generations.”

Past recipients of the award include Federal Reserve Board Member Dr. Lisa D. Cook, Secretary of State Colin Powell (posthumously), La June Montgomery Tabron, Cedric Richmond, Stacey Abrams, then-Senator Kamala Harris, former Joint Center President Eddie Williams, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Senator Cory Booker, Ambassador Susan Rice, Congressmen John Lewis and James Clyburn, Dorothy Height, and Muhammad Ali. See the full list of recipients here.

Louis E. Martin was a 1934 graduate of the University of Michigan, a Chicago Defender journalist, the founding editor and publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, and a founder of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.  In serving as an advisor to three presidents, Martin was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. Martin was one of the founders of the Joint Center in 1970, and served as its board chair from 1970-1979.  Among friends and colleagues, Martin was known for expressing his warmest respects with his favorite compliment: “You are a great American.”

About Spencer Overton 

Spencer Overton is the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law at The George Washington (GW) University. He is the author of the book Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression, the law review article Overcoming Racial Harms to Democracy from Artificial Intelligence, and several other publications on democracy and race. He also directs GW Law’s Multiracial Democracy Project, which is currently working on research projects on the implications of artificial intelligence and alternative election systems for truly representative democracy in the United States.

About the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.