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20 Years Celebrating the Invaluable Achievements of Whistleblowers, Truth-Tellers and Visionaries
The 2022 Ridenhour Prizes Honorees
Anita Hill
The Ridenhour Courage Prize
Anita Hill is the youngest of 13 children from a farm in Oklahoma. She received her B.S. from Oklahoma State University and her J.D. from Yale Law School. She began her career in private practice in Washington, D.C. There she also worked at the U. S. Education Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 1989, Anita Hill became the first African American to be tenured at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law. Hill is the recipient of numerous awards, grants and honorary degrees. Hill’s professional and civic contributions include chairing the Human Rights Law Committee of the International Bar Association, and membership on the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Law Center and the Boston Area Lawyers for Civil Rights.
Anika Collier Navaroli
The Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize
Anika Collier Navaroli’s expertise lies at the intersection of media, technology, law, policy, and race. Her current research as a Race & Technology practitioner fellow at Stanford University delves into the distinct impacts of regulating speech on Black content moderators and policy enforcers for social media platforms. Previously, Anika worked in several technology industry Trust & Safety departments, where she developed and enforced global platform content moderation policies.
Anika risked her safety and career by coming forward to provide testimony under subpoena before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, testifying about her experience on January 6th and the moments preceding the insurrection.
Heather McGhee
The Ridenhour Book Prize
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
Heather McGhee designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Over her career in public policy, Heather has crafted legislation, testified before Congress and helped shape presidential campaign platforms. Her book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together spent 10 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was longlisted for the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. The book was also adapted into a Spotify podcast by Higher Ground, the production company of Barack and Michelle Obama and into a young adult readers’ version that will be released by Random House Children’s in 2023.
Stanley Nelson Jr. and Traci A. Curry
The Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize
Co-Directors, Attica
Stanley Nelson Jr. is today’s leading documentarian of the African American experience. His films combine compelling narratives with rich historical detail to shine new light on the under-explored American past. Awards received over the course of his career include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and lifetime achievement awards from the Emmys and IDA.
Traci A. Curry is an Oscar-nominated director, producer, showrunner, and writer of powerful stories, with more than two decades of experience in creating compelling, in-depth narratives for multi-media platforms, including long- and short-form documentaries. She also served as a producer and writer for several national cable news shows.