Every year, Newman University celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) by recognizing the leadership efforts of one student, faculty and staff member.
The 2024 MLK Distinguished Service Award Ceremony held Feb. 8 did just that in a renewed and spirited fashion, starting with a performance by the Newman Chorale directed by Music Director Deanne Zogleman. The students greeted guests with the soulful songs “In That Great Gettin’ Up Mornin’” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Pastor Samuel Kayode of RCCG Victory House Church then led an opening prayer.
“We thank you, Lord, for the great vision and message Dr. Martin Luther King has left behind,” Kayode prayed. “And thank you to the award recipients who choose to follow the principles and ideas of Dr. King in love, in equality and in freedom.”
The 2024 MLK Distinguished Service Award honorees were presented to faculty member Yelando Johnson, program director of Newman’s Master of Social Work program and the division chair of social work and associate professor; staff member Andi Giesen, dean of students; and student Alondra Valle.
For all three, it was a humbling surprise to receive the awards.
Johnson was nominated for always finding ways to promote equity and inclusion on the Newman campus. In the words of her nominator, “as a social worker, Dr. Johnson has taken an oath to serve humanity and do what’s right, and she excels every day in this mission.”
Johnson has served on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which plans the event, in years past and is no stranger to the work it takes to organize the MLK Distinguished Service Awards event and the nomination process.
“I’ve been here for so long and I’ve been a nominee many times, so I was really surprised I won it,” Johnson said. “I feel like I do the work I do naturally and I think all of us try to. There are so many great people who live by the principles of Dr. King — Melissa Castle (employment specialist), Sonja Bontrager (assistant professor of Spanish and co-director of Hispanic initiatives), Marguerite Regan (director of teaching and learning) and so many others.”
Johnson added, “If I can do something to make even one student feel like they belong, that makes me happy. I’m just so proud to represent that work.”
Giesen was nominated for “going above and beyond the call of duty,” and for “working effortlessly with students, faculty and staff to make sure no one is left out or behind.” Giesen helped plan the event with the DEI committee, so she was surprised when “it came back around my way and I had to confirm my own attendance to be there (as an awardee).”
“I am extremely honored,” she said. “Dr. King’s work is amazing and I would give a nod to the university and the committee for perpetuating his work. And then for any bit of what I do to be likened to his work is most amazing.”
Valle’s nominators described her as a leader with “a profound commitment to the pursuit of equity and justice in various capacities.”
Valle, who serves as president of the Student Government Association, stated, “Dr. Martin Luther King did a lot and I wouldn’t classify myself as being at his level, but being even close to it with this award was a huge honor.”
Keynote speaker Marquetta Atkins-Woods, founder and executive director of Destination Innovation Inc., challenged all attendees to reflect on King’s belief that “love that does not satisfy justice is no love at all.”
I want us to hold space for these change makers, for everybody that gets up every day and says, ‘I’m going to fight.’ Because there is nothing easy about it.
Marquetta Atkins-Woods
“Oftentimes when we celebrate his legacy, we hear the love, but it’s hard to see,” Atkins-Woods said. “Love is in action, not just in words. Do we see that love in policy? Do we feel that love in leadership?”
Atkins-Woods noted how the award winners’ work is grounded in equity and creating an environment that is just and safe for every person, but this work takes tremendous courage.
“I don’t think we talk about enough about how scary it is to go against the grain, to stand in the fight; how sometimes the losses in this work outweigh the wins,” she said. “So today I want us to hold space for these change makers, for everybody that gets up every day and says, ‘I’m going to fight.’ Because there is nothing easy about it.”
Atkins-Woods concluded, “Let’s celebrate and build beyond this moment. Let’s make sure we create a space for these leaders to feel supported, heard and seen in their daily work so that we can do the same for future leaders. Give yourself grace, because if this man died for his strengths, surely we can live for ours.”
Explore life at Newman University
In this inclusive, faith-inspired university community, you’ll create meaningful connections that will endure and help you become the difference maker you are meant to be.
