Living the Legacy

On January 20th, Auburn Outreach and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (East Central Alabama Chapter) hosted the MLK Day Scholarship Breakfast at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrate people embodying his legacy.

The celebration included a keynote speaker, musical performances, scholarship awards and various service and community awards.

Many of local community leaders from Auburn, Opelika, Loachapoka, and Selma gathered to honor MLK’s impact. As the Vice President for Outreach and Associate Provost Dr. Royrickers Cook stated, AU was “celebrating the importance of service and unity.”

Mayor of Auburn Mr. Ron Anders, Jr. echoed a similar sentiment stating, “we can accomplish so much work together.”

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Constance Hendricks made the celebration complete with the wise words she’s acquired after a lifetime of being a renowned researcher, educator of nursing, and notable community leader.

She is a Professor Emerita, the first African American tenured with Full Professor rank at Auburn University. She also served as the dean for the School of Nursing and Allied Health at Tuskegee University.

These are only a few of the accolades she has acquired throughout her distinguished career committed to innovating health research and programs and breaking institutional barriers through community service initiatives.

These experiences taught her leaders undergo “a process called becoming” to be “the best citizen you can.”

Becoming the best citizen requires acknowledging “our diversity is our superstrength” and engaging in “service with gratitude for anyone in need.”

She shared working with the Human Genome Project showed her social determinants of health and biological predispositions according to one’s ethnic background impacts people differently.

Although 99.9% of all human genes are the same, “it’s just that little bit that makes us different, but it matters a lot.” Failure to address human health holistically creates health disparities.

According to Dr. Hendricks, “the prescription for unity is multifaceted” and needed to “foster justice.”

She ended her remarks with a quote from “I Have a Dream”. “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,” she exclaimed.

The Spirit of MLK

Auburn’s True Deliverance Holiness Church offered a moving contribution to the event. Bishop Nolan Torbert, the church choir, and members of his congregation were present at the celebration.

The church choir delivered a beautiful rendition of Hezekiah Walker’s “Grateful” and “Hallelujah, Salvation and Glory.”

Outreach’s Administrative Support Specialist Pamela Mason also performed a powerful solo to Walter Hawkins' “Thank You.”

These performances encapsulated the heart and soul of the ceremony. Many audience members were visibly moved, some in tears.

Scholarships

Four high school students from Lee County received scholarship awards. Proceeds from the breakfast help support scholarships for outstanding local students who demonstrate strong interest in solving societal problems in the form of a video essay.

Aidan Platt and Elijah Tate from Auburn High School were awarded scholarships. Students Kaylan Dowdell and Maralin Morales Rodriguez from Loachapoka High School also received scholarships.

Platt shared his plans to study Sports Medicine and feels grateful to receive support from the community to pursue higher education. “This scholarship is enabling me to pursue an education, and I know that I have people who support me and want me to achieve this goal,” he stated.

Awards

Three distinguished professionals were awarded for their contributions aligned with the spirit of MLK.

Civic leader Raven Harris received the Community Service Award for her commitment to volunteering. Some of her work includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Peace Community Development Corporation, the Zoning Board of Adjustments, and the Curtis House.

Public Administrator Alfred J. Davis, Sr. received the Trailblazer Award for being an innovator and visionary in public administration. He serves as the Director of Community Services for the City of Auburn. He led the city waste collection conversion and helped make the RecycleAuburn initiative happen.

Dr. Keith Hébert received the Educator of Year award. His research in public history as the Ralph B. Draughon Professor of Southern History and Public History Program Officer at Auburn University has been applied in a multitude of communities in the southeast.

This includes his work alongside other talented AU faculty to restore the Tankersley Rosenwald School in Montgomery County and his collaboration with the Lee County branch of the NAACP to record civil rights history.

Dr. Hébert believes “It is our community's duty to connect and serve the broader communities that surround Auburn University, especially those who may have been ignored historically by society.”

“The King holiday should inspire us to pick up the unfinished work he left behind when he was tragically murdered while helping to achieve the level of human equality and opportunity that our nation idealizes in its democratic institutions,” he emphasized.

The MLK Day Scholarship Breakfast was a wonderful celebration of exceptional students and remarkable leaders working towards change, but it is also a reminder to continue to advocate for change in our own communities.