Dr. Lomax Recognized as Champion of Justice at ADL’s 2025 Concert Against Hate
Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and chief executive officer, UNCF, was one of four “Champions of Justice” honored on Nov. 10 at the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 2025 Concert Against Hate in Washington, DC. He was a recipient of the Kay Family Award.
The other honorees include Marion Ein Lewin, a Holocaust survivor and health policy leader, and Wesley Seidner, a senior at Oakton High School in Vienna, VA. David Holt, Mayor of Oklahoma City, received the ADL Levenson Defender of Democracy Award. Dr. Lomax and his fellow honorees attended the Concert Against Hate, ADL’s annual benefit concert recognizing individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in standing up to hatred, antisemitism, injustice and bias.
“At a time when hate is all too prevalent in our country, these four extraordinary individuals remind us that courage comes in many forms,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL chief executive officer, in a press release. “From Dr. Lomax’s lifelong commitment to education and unity, to Wesley’s fearless advocacy as a young leader, to Marion’s vital work preserving Holocaust memory, to Mayor Holt’s transformational leadership in bringing communities together, each honoree represents the very best of what it means to stand up for what is right. Their stories inspire us to keep fighting, to never give in and to build a future where justice and dignity are guaranteed for all.”
The Black and Jewish communities have a long history of working together to further civil rights and expand opportunity to all, Dr. Lomax explained.
“It’s a great honor, a wonderful and humbling honor to be recognized by an organization that I have so much respect for and that I’ve known so well over the years,” he said. “Honestly, it’s a surprise to be getting an award as the ally as opposed to the person who is seeking the allies, because the Jewish community has always been an ally to the Black community, to my family, to me throughout my career.”
“Over the last two years, since that horrible massacre in Israel, I have felt like I needed to step up and stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters and say, ‘you’ve been an ally to me, I want to be an ally to you,’” he continued.
Last year, UNCF, in collaboration with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) and Hillel International, launched the Tikkun Olam Initiative, connecting students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and from Hillels at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The program and social justice initiative builds cross-cultural understanding and cultivates a new generation of leaders committed to social justice and equity. By confronting legacies of hate and discrimination, Tikkun Olam Initiative participants explore narratives of resilience, advocacy and the intertwined struggles for justice. The initiative has hosted Unity Dinners on college campuses across the country, from Atlanta, GA, to Washington, DC, New Orleans, LA, to Los Angeles, CA.
One of Dr. Lomax’s grandchildren participates in the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Atlanta’s Black/Jewish Teen Initiative, which works to build bonds between the region’s communities.
“We need to do everything we can in the Black community to reinforce the longstanding bonds we’ve had with the Jewish community,” Dr. Lomax shared. “That’s a relationship that is over a century old in this country. That relationship has grown frayed in recent years, and I want to revitalize it. I want a new generation of Black young people and Jewish young people to get to know one another, to appreciate their shared humanity and to work together to create a better world.”