LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The Community Foundation of Acadiana has officially named Fredrick “Fred” Prejean Sr. as the 2020 recipient of the Lafayette Civic Cup.

Information on Prejean, as provided by the Commuinity Foundation, is below:

Prejean is president of Move the Mindset, an organization committed to promoting racial and social justice in Lafayette. The group was founded in 2016 and has successfully advocated for the removal of the Alfred Mouton statue in Downtown Lafayette.

Born and raised in Lafayette, Prejean attended Holy Rosary Institute. At age 17, he traveled to the 1963 March on Washington and witnessed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. This experience would inform the rest of his life. He then enrolled at Southern University, where he became one of the leaders of a peaceful demonstration when the state legislature was considering its closure to desegregate higher education institutions. He graduated in 1974 with a degree in accounting and business management.

“We are thrilled to announce Fred Prejean as our 2020 Civic Cup honoree,” says Dr. Paul Azar, president of the Lafayette Civic Cup Committee. “This award is about leadership, innovation and the desire to make Lafayette better. We also need people that can bring people together, and we believe Fred Prejean has all of those qualities and more.”

Prejean’s community activism spans more than 50 years. He trained as a community organizer with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Congress of Racial Equality. His work through Southern Consumers Cooperative helped black entrepreneurs launch startup businesses.

He has also served the community as the committee chairperson for the Heymann Scholarship Academic Awards, chairperson of the Lafayette Planning and Zoning Commission, a member of the Holy Rosary Institute Restoration Committee and a member of the Lafayette chapter of the NAACP and the Greater Southwest Louisiana Black Chamber of Commerce. The McComb-Veazey and Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood organizations formed during his tenure with planning and zoning.

“Throughout his pathway to public service, when faced with controversial social challenges, Mr. Prejean would always emerge as the leader that provided intelligent analysis and constructive, strategic engagement that always led to positive results,” says Greg Davis, 2005 Civic Cup honoree.

Prejean also served as undersecretary at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and retired in 2012 as president of consulting firm Empire Management Inc. During his retirement, Prejean has worked through Move the Mindset to educate residents, form partnerships and collaborate with the Equal Justice Initiative.

The Civic Cup dates back to 1933 when entrepreneur and Lafayette Mardi Gras founder Maurice Heymann was awarded the first cup. Subsequent recipients have included Edith Garland Dupre, Jewell Lowe, Dr. Paul Azar, Ed Abel, Paul Hilliard, Dr. Mary Neiheisel, Richard Zuschlag, Madlyn Hilliard, Hank Perret and last year’s winner, Jerry K. Greig.

The 2020 Lafayette Civic Cup award dinner sponsored by IBERIABANK will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Petroleum Club of Lafayette. Tickets are $75 per person. Seating will be limited and COVID-compliant. Call the Petroleum Club at 337-232-2582, ext. 0, for reservations; online reservations are not available.