Feb. 4, 2003
Honoring King’s Commitment
University Honors Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
GW Students Who Preserve His Commitment to Service and Justice; Ceremony
Culminates Week of Events
By Matthew
Lindsay
In a ceremony featuring stories of personal triumph, inspiring words
about community service, a thought-provoking performance, and a candlelight
musical tribute, the GW community gathered to pay respects to the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honor the significant contributions
of two GW students.
On Jan. 23, graduate student Sandra Gutierrez and senior Chanel Haliburton
received the 2003 Martin Luther King, Jr. medal for exemplifying the
ideals and spirit of King’s work.
GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg presented the awards to Gutierrez
and Haliburton, and quoted a speech King made in Washington, DC, just
days before his assassination. In that speech, King said, “We have
made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical
commitment to make it a brotherhood.”
Trachtenberg praised the Martin Luther King, Jr., medalists, who in
his words “have turned The George Washington University neighborhood
into a brotherhood.”
Gutierrez has been active in organizations such as Americorps, the Latin
American Youth Center of Washington, DC, and the Theta Chapter of Latinas
Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Phi Chi Sorority, Inc. Gutierrez told the
assembled crowd, “I made the decision to dedicate my life to fight
for the forgotten people in society … what began as a personal
struggle has grown into hope for the future.”
Haliburton has volunteered as a health trainer for National Organization
of Concerned Black Men, facilitator for college workshops, peer tutor,
and founder/ performer for BLAZEN, an on-campus student organization
committed to using arts to develop and engage youth and college students.
“To be associated with him [King] is amazing…for everything
that has been given to me, I try to give back tenfold,” Haliburton
said.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., medal is awarded annually and is sponsored
by GW’s Multicultural Student Services Center. Recipients of the
Martin Luther King, Jr., award are anonymously nominated by faculty
or staff members, with the winners chosen by a selection committee of
GW faculty, staff and past award recipients.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., medal awards ceremony was the crescendo
to a series of University events that celebrated the life and legacy
of King.
On Jan. 15, GW hosted a Martin Luther King, Jr., birthday celebration
in Abrahms Hall of the Marvin Center. The Office of Community Service
organized “A Day On… Not A Day Off” service day on Jan.
20 at the Knox Hill Senior Center in southeast DC. Almost 200 GW students
from 13 volunteer organizations turned out to help repaint the center.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
