"Leon's Bridge" is one of two works created by sculptor George Trakas to honor Reverend Leon Howard Sullivan Jr., who was a successful minister, civil rights advocate, humanitarian and corporate leader known for his creation of the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America and the Sullivan Principles to promote political reform in South Africa.
Leon Sullivan was born in Charleston, West Virginia on October 16, 1922, where he attended racially segregated schools. He received a basketball and football scholarship to attend predominantly black West Virginia State College, but a foot injury ended his athletic career and forced Sullivan to work in a steel mill to pay for college tuition.
At the age of 18, Leon Sullivan became a Baptist minister, and, three years later moved to New York City to attend the Union Theological Seminary, where he was enrolled from 1943-1945. Two years later he received a Master’s degree in Religion from Columbia University, eventually becoming pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA.
While in Philadelphia, Rev. Sullivan organized and led successful campaigns to challenge job discrimination. In 1964, he founded and led the first Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc. (OIC), a non-profit organization that established employment and training programs, which the Reverend felt would assist the effort to end employment discrimination. As of 2008, OIC has grown to include 60 affiliated programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia.
In 1971, Rev. Sullivan was elected to the Board of Directors at General Motors Corporation (GM), which was at that time the largest employer in South Africa. The Reverend used his position within this corporation to oppose discrimination, and in 1977 created the Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for corporations operating out of South Africa. This code is widely acknowledged for challenging racial discrimination in South Africa and helping dismantle apartheid. In 1997, Rev. Sullivan extended the Sullivan principles and, with help from the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, launched the Global Sullivan Principles campaign.
While Rev. Sullivan also founded the Zion Investment Association to raise money for small business, the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), was one of his most ambitious projects. The program created the Peoples Investment Fund for Africa, the Teachers for Africa and Schools for Africa programs, and the Self-Help Investment Program. IFESH has provided books and school supplies for the African continent, distributed medicines to prevent river-blindness and helped combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Rev. Sullivan received honorary doctorates from over 50 universities and colleges for his humanitarian and philanthropic activities. For his role in helping the economically and socially disadvantaged people of the world, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. Bush in 1992. In 1999 his humanitarian efforts were honored when he received the Eleanor Roosevelt Award from President William Clinton. In January 2001, a PBS documentary about the life of Sullivan titled “A Principled Man: Rev. Leon Sullivan” aired.
In addition to his role as a religious, corporate, and civil rights leader, Rev. Sullivan was also a noted author, with works including; "America is Theirs" (1948), "Build Brother Build" (1969), "Philosophy of a Giant" (1972), "Alternatives to Despair" (1979), and "Moving Mountains: The Principles and Purposes of Leon Sullivan" (1998).
Rev. Leon Sullivan Jr. died of leukemia in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 24, 2001; his legacy is continued by the Leon H. Sullivan foundation.
This artwork was moved to storage in 2022 where it will remain until its re-installation in the newly renovated Adams Park sometime in 2024
