University Honors Five with MLK Awards

The GW community paid tribute to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a series of events in late January. On Jan. 22, staff, faculty, and students gathered in the Dorothy Betts Theatre in GW’s Marvin Center to honor the recipients of the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards. This year’s winners are junior Elizabeth Acevedo; graduate student Charles Basden Jr., B.A. ’08; senior Andrea Criollo; junior Christine French; and Executive Director of the Student Activities Center Timothy Miller.

The honorees were selected by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award Committee for their exceptional commitment to service and their embodiment of the values that Dr. King represented. The nomination criteria included dedication to public service, outstanding leadership, and significant contributions to the GW and Washington, D.C., communities. Started in 1986, the ceremony is a partnership between the Office of the President and the Multicultural Student Services Center.

At the ceremony, GW President Steven Knapp congratulated the award winners and expressed gratitude for their service. “On behalf of the entire University, I thank you for your contributions to the GW community, the greater Washington, D.C., community, and the human community as a whole,” said Dr. Knapp. “I can think of no better way to remember Martin Luther King than to recognize the people who clearly embody the values he espoused.”

Basden says the award was particularly meaningful. “The award is a nod to the service I’ve completed and a catalyst for the acts of good faith that I plan to undertake in my life going forward,” he says. “I look forward to the next set of challenges that demand the type of service in which I can roll up my sleeves and do what is necessary to better the lives of any and all people.” Basden served as president of the University’s chapter of the Black Student Union and helped create the “Stop the Hate Campaign” at the University.

Acevedo says the award also reminded her to continue helping others. “It is an incredibly beautiful feeling to be a recipient of such a prestigious award,” says Acevedo. “This award is not my own; it belongs to all the individuals who enabled me to be in a position where I could be of service to others.” Acevedo serves in a number of leadership roles at GW, including vice president of the Organization of Latino Students, and has worked with myriad organizations and events, including the AIDS Walk and Bread for the City.

The awards ceremony concluded a University-wide celebration that began on Jan. 15 with a performance of A Killing in Choctaw, a one-man play written and performed by activist Carl Ray in GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs.

On Monday, Jan. 19, approximately 240 students traveled to Anacostia High School to paint classrooms and help administer free health screenings in honor of the national Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. The event was organized by GW’s Office of Community Service and the Multicultural Student Services Center.

Also on Monday, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) held a signing for her book Renegade for Peace and Justice at GW’s Alumni House. The event was sponsored by the University’s chapter of the Black Student Union and the GW Williams House.

“Every one of the award winners has been a major contributor to the University in some capacity,” says Michael Tapscott, director of the Multicultural Student Services Center, who led GW’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award Selection Committee. “It is my belief that the King award program should reflect the entire GW community and it is important to remember Dr. King’s dream of equality and inclusiveness for all.”

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