Le’Darius Hillard, 36, Director of Outreach and Legislative Policy for the Birmingham Urban League (BUL), died Friday at Baptist Medical Center Princeton. (Birmingham Urban League)
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By Barnett Wright
The Birmingham Times
Among the many titles Le’Darius Hillard accumulated over the years in Birmingham, one of his most important may have been Director of Outreach and Legislative Policy for the Birmingham Urban League (BUL), say friends.
Hillard, 36, died Friday at Baptist Medical Center Princeton and was fondly remembered as a political and community activist. But some of his most important work may have been with the BUL where he began as a volunteer 10 years ago, said William A. Barnes, President and Chief Executive Officer of the BUL.
“He managed the 100 Days of Non-Violence [campaign] for us which was huge in the schools,” said Barnes. “We’d go to all seven high schools [in Birmingham] and those students will tell you that our [Non-Violence] program and our engagement are the best engagement they’ve had and [Hilliard] was the leader of that.”
The National Urban League (NUL) took notice of the program, Barnes said. “They invited us to do the same thing on a national level. In July. they brought 500 kids from across the nation, and we ran the same play that we run here and they (NUL) were so thoroughly impressed that they are now talking about duplicating that work in other communities.”
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Barnes said Hilliard has been with the organization for a total of 13 years, ten as a volunteer and three as a full-time employee.
“In those three years he made an impact like no other on our kids,” Barnes said. “He rose to senior leadership [with BUL] because of his work … He has always been active. Whether people disagreed or not, he stood on his principles. And those principles focused on fighting for people.”
Barnes said Hilliard had a knowledge of policies and issues that surpassed many activists. “When you go all the way back to when he was fighting for the $15 minimum wage — and got it passed with very little clout in the city. It was blocked; but he got it passed.”
Hillard was also among local activists and organizers, along with Carlos Chavrest, of protests when EJ Bradford was shot in Hoover.
“Hillard knew when and when not to push and he seemed to have his finger on the pulse of what that should look like. When I think about those big ticket items like minimum wage, fighting for our community he made a difference,” Barnes said.
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson said Hilliard was different than most activists, especially when it came to voter registration.
“His gift was he knew common, everyday citizens and that makes a difference,” Tyson said. “You have to find out their needs to get them to vote. It’s obvious that if they’re not voting, it’s a reason. He knew how to get to the root of their problems.
“He had his pulse on young people, which the majority of people don’t … he knew why they weren’t voting … He could tell you exactly why. Everybody else had to guess.”
According to the Jefferson County Coroner, Hilliard was found at a local motel and taken to Princeton Baptist Medical Center, where he died at 5:35 a.m. on Friday. The cause of his death is pending an examination and additional laboratory studies.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement on Friday, “Today, we mourn the passing of Le’Darius Hilliard but celebrate his many contributions to our community, including his fierce devotion to education. From health care to housing, he was a true servant leader and advocate for our people. We pray for the comfort of his family and friends during this difficult time while never forgetting the impact he made in our city.”
Hilliard, a Pratt City resident served as an associate minister at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of North Pratt and as president of Jefferson County Millennial Democrats (Formerly Young Democrats), which won Local Chapter of the Year for work on minimum wage and was a former president of Pratt City Youth Organization.
He attended St. Paul Elementary School; Daniel Payne Middle School; Jackson Olin High School; Minor High School; Jefferson State Community College and Meridian College, Meridian, Mississippi.
