Civil rights attorney, community activist, legal scholar, change agent, revolutionary, author – Now, Dr. Angela Allen-Bell can add a new title to her growing list of accolades as this year’s 2025 Living Legends Award recipient.
Founded in 2018 by Dr. Clyde Robertson, Director of the Center for African and African American Studies (CAAAS) at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), the Living Legends Award celebrates local African Americans who have impacted the city of New Orleans through their unwavering and notable dedication to ethical excellence. In recent years, Hancock Whitney has had the privilege to support this social welfare organization as both a respected sponsor and dynamic community partner.
This year’s honoree, Southern University Law Center Professor Angela Allen-Bell, has become a respected advocate and voice, both locally and internationally, to those oftentimes overlooked by society. Dr. Bell’s research has played a pivotal role in catapulting the movement that successfully ended the use of non-unanimous juries in Louisiana in 2018.
Recently, students, associates and community leaders alike came together to recognize and give their flowers to this year’s esteemed beneficiary.
Many of Professor Bell’s self-proclaimed “children” sang her praises Friday evening, allowing the audience an intimate peek behind the curtain into Dr. Bell’s oftentimes unrecognized, yet impactful accomplishments. Also in attendance, Senior Vice President and Corporate Compliance Attorney for Hancock Whitney, Cory Vidal, who opened the ceremony with a few words highlighting the significance Dr. Bell has played in his personal journey through law. An array of touching tributes and testimonials would soon follow through an outpouring of love and support from several of Dr. Bell’s closest network of colleagues.
One by one, speakers approached the podium and shared their experiences with the audience closing with a presentation of flowers, a small but powerful token of gratitude to a woman who has given so much of herself to so many. As stated by fellow Southern University Law Center Professor Virginia Listache, “you don’t do it for the glory, you do it because you want to right a wrong”, a philosophy Dr. Bell not only applies in her daily life, but also strengthens her belief that there is no expiration date on justice.
Addressing the audience with both grace and humility, Dr. Bell was quick to first praise the work of others before graciously accepting acknowledgement for the role that she’s played - a steadfast powerhouse with a mission to give a voice to the sidelined, silenced and powerless in society.
Perhaps the most profound expression of gratitude that evening came from one of the last presenters to make their way to the stage. A woman, previously incarcerated, shared the knowledge that she’s acquired through her time spent with Dr. Bell – from learning to love herself to realizing it’s not about the system, it’s about the human. She concluded stating “I may not have extravagant flowers to give you, but tonight I give you my heart.” A sentiment that most certainly echoed throughout the evening and will continue to follow Dr. Bell in her tireless journey and commitment to fight injustice.
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