Unintended consequences.

Andrea Taylor uses that phrase a lot these days—while in the midst of the still-stirring storm caused by the board of directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where she serves as president and CEO.

She spoke publicly for the first time since the board voted three weeks ago to reverse its decision to honor long-time civil- and human-rights activist and Birmingham native Angela Davis with the 2018 Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award and cancel its annual fund-raising gala.

In a statement, the BCRI cited, in part: "Upon closer examination of Ms. Davis’ statements and public record, we concluded that she unfortunately does not meet all of the criteria on which the award is based.”

The decisions, amplified by the ambiguity of the BCRI statement, ignited a tempest of criticism that thundered through Birmingham and reverberated far beyond the city’s borders.

“The missteps are well known,” Taylor said. “It’s unfortunate there was a process that did not serve the Birmingham community or the award itself well. Once that process began, it was a series of cascading events that brought us to this moment.

“It brought a lot of attention to the city — and unintended consequences.

“There were a number of lessons learned — we see the opportunity to reaffirm our mission and the role we play in communities. Not just in Birmingham, but in national and global communities, as well.

“I think we’re in a good place for new dialogue and advocacy for human and civil rights.”

Soon after the board’s January 4 emergency executive session telephone call (members voted 9-2 to rescind the award, the BCRI later revealed), it was learned the decision was sparked by pressure from different segments of Birmingham—vociferously, but not exclusively, some in the Jewish community.

Disapproval stemmed from Davis’ long support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in support of Palestine.

Neither Taylor not Interim Board Chair Rev. Thomas Wilder reveal exactly how individual board members voted. “When the board makes a decision, it’s everybody’s decision,” Wilder said.

Wilder said the overriding concern was that protests might taint the gala.

“We didn’t want a cloud hanging over the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Award,” Wilder said. “We didn’t want it picketed. We had some honest people in the room who were trying to do what was best for the institution.”

In hindsight, Wilder called the decision “reactionary.” Especially since the board had invited numerous groups to meet on Monday, January 7, to share their concerns and potentially work out a compromise.

“For whatever reason, the board abandoned the process,” Wilder said. “We did not follow our own decision.”

Wilder said the board knew there would be “some public outcry.”

“We were willing to face that,” he said. “We didn’t go into it blind.”

The ensuing outrage, however, was massive. It included a public reprimand by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who also demanded minutes of the January 4 meeting, the award selection criteria, an apology “to the community-at-large,” and more: protests led by leaders of the Outcast Voters League and other groups, as well as biting criticism from around the nation and the world.

On January 9, three BCRI board officers resigned.

In an email to remaining board members on January 11 (the same day he publicly issued his reprimand and demands), Woodfin further admonished board members, saying it “breached its fiduciary duty” in its handling of the award and “caused a level of embarrassment to our city unseen in generations.”

The City of Birmingham contributed $1 million to BCRI’s $3.1 million 2019 budget.

“Clearly,” said Taylor, “this is not the kind of headline news you want to see about an institution with a history of service to the national and international community.”

Three days after Woodfin made clear his requests, yet after eight days of public silence, the board issued an apology. “We accept responsibility and are sorry,” its statement read, in part.

Finally, last Thursday, the board announced it had voted to re-invite Davis to her hometown and reinstate her as the 2018 Shuttlesworth award winner.

In the meantime, however, Davis, who said she had been “stunned” by the board’s decision to rescind the award, accepted an invitation to participate in two alternative events hosted by the Committee for Truth & Reconciliation on February 16, the same day she was to have been honored by the BCRI.

(Taylor said she secured a ticket to both events Friday evening before they were sold out soon after being offered to the public. “I’ll be there in the audience,” she said.)

Taylor said the Institute has not yet received a response from Davis regarding the new invitation.

“We had a conversation and are having an ongoing dialogue,” Taylor said. “We will be open and receptive to whatever the circumstances are.”

Davis did not respond to an email requesting her reaction to the award being reinstated.

“History will show that BCRI did ultimately make the right decision in conferring the award to Dr. Davis,” Taylor said. “Now, we want to work with the city to move forward and heal and continue our work as a symbol of social justice and advocacy for present and future generations.”

As part of that effort, Taylor says she and members of the board met with Carlos Chaverst and Frank Matthews of the Outcast Voters League.

“Absolutely,” she said. “They reached out to us and we reached out to them. You can’t solve problems and make constructive changes unless you dialogue with people."

She called the conversations “very constructive.”

“They were a very fruitful and productive set of conversations,” she added. “I look forward to more of that dialogue.”

Chaverst described the meetings as “pretty sincere in what leaders are trying to convey, sincere in wanting to hear from us and the community and what we felt about [the original recension].

“The board acknowledged it was a mistake and done prematurely,” he said. “The first step is acknowledgment. The resignations were a good step, also. The board still has a long way to go to build significant trust with the community.”

Chaverst said he had two in-person meetings and two telephone conversations with Taylor. He said she mentioned the possible creation of a community board, he said, “to keep the community aware of what’s going on and make suggestions to the board.”

“We also suggested that the board needs fresh leadership,” he added. “The same old dominant leadership has been there for years.”

Chaverst, like many others, is still waiting to see how each board member voted during the January 4 meeting. “In the spirit of transparency,” he said. “They said they would be releasing details of how the vote actually went.”

Chaverst added that a protest at the Institute was planned for the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, but it was called off after positive discussions with board members.

“We were assured changes were coming to the board and there would be some things that were beneficial to the community,” Chaverst said.

The protest leader said he wanted to work with the board to boost membership to the Institute, especially with young people.

“I’m doing fine,” he said. “I’ll be better when we see actual changes enacted. Then, I’ll be at ease.”

“There are always unintended consequences,” Taylor said. “There is definitely a need for more dialogue between people who have different opinions—a greater understanding of diverse views and finding a place of importance that is equipped for engaging in that dialogue.

“I think we’re on the right path for the future.”

Taylor, who took the helm at the Institute in September 2015, did not directly respond to whether she considered resigning during the controversy or if she will remain at the Institute: “I am currently the president and CEO and I look forward to working with the board and the community to continue our work and our mission in a way that is authentic and effective for mutual benefit,” she said.

Interim board chair Rev. Thomas Wilder said the board never considered removing the president and CEO. “Not once,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence in her ability. It was not even a thought.”

As for the board members, Woodfin, in his email to the group, also said: “I would be derelict in my duty to stand by and just hope the situation will improve.

“Therefore, for those members of the board who have asked me if they should resign, I would urge you to do so…For those members of the board who have expressed a clear and direct desire to move on with the pace of crisis and restore public trust without question—then I encourage you to double-down and do everything in your personal power to address my personal requests.”

He gave members until 8:00 a.m. the following Monday to respond with their decision.

All board members committed to remaining.

“We can work through this mess we created,” Wilder said. “We asked to remain, at least until the work is done.”

Here’s AL.com’s full coverage of the BCRI and Angela Davis.

“Our brand has taken a hit,” Taylor said, “and come to understand how important the organization is to local advocates and others across the world. It’s our opportunity now to really reach out and engage with that global population.

“We are a diverse society but still strangers,” she added. “We don’t know a lot about each other or our history. What happened here underscores the need for increasing that awareness, facilitating more programming to enhance awareness and being a safe space for dialogue.

“I look forward to us becoming an even stronger institution.”