Rev. William Barber, the 55-year-old pastor of Goldsboro’s Greenleaf Christian Church, is now one of 25 winners of the MacArthur Fellowship's 2018 Genius Grant.
The award comes with a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000 paid over five years. There is no application process, and recipients have no idea they're being considered for the grant.
To be considered for a Genius Grant, one must be a resident or citizen of the United States, not hold a government position and demonstrate creativity, a track record of success and the ability to continue being a pioneer in their field. Former Genius Grant winners include UNC graduate Nikole Hannah-Jones, choreographer Michelle Dorrance, the daughter of UNC women's soccer head coach Anson Dorrance, and playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda.
As head of the North Carolina NAACP, Barber first gained national attention starting in 2013 by spearheading the ‘Moral Monday’ movement, a series of weekly protest rallies at the Republican-controlled N.C. General Assembly.
Barber is the co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, a revival of the movement started by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Barber is one of the country’s best-known public advocates, fighting racism and poverty. Barber has successfully organized marches and other nonviolent acts of civil disobedience around the country.
On Thursday, when the MacArthur foundation announced Barber was a recipient of the award, he was in Chicago at a protest for raising the minimum wage.
"It is a deep and profound honor and overwhelming surprise to receive this award," Barber said. "It inspires me to keep working, keep standing, keep loving and to continue working for the cause of justice. The moral crises of our time are the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and the false, distorted moral narrative of so-called ‘religious nationalism.’ I, along with others, believe that only a moral fusion movement can work to change these realities.”
Many people who have worked with him are proud of Barber’s achievements.
"I think it’s truly a recognition of Dr. Barber’s approach to justice and to the campaign for rights and liberties and justice for all people," said Anna Richards, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP. "To have that recognized is such a great honor, and one that’s well deserved."
