AV天堂网

When the University鈥檚 NAACP chapter became inactive, Sadara Funches 鈥�24, who had been a member of its executive board, recognized an important need. This was, they believed, an organization that was important to have at the University. So, they took the initiative to make sure it would continue to be a valuable resource, offering Chargers a sense of community.

After completing the necessary paperwork, recruiting new members, and building a social media presence, Funches became president of the chapter, which was officially reactivated in the fall. Funches was recently recognized as part of the University鈥檚 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. They received an MLK Vision Award, recognizing them as someone who embodies the ideals of Dr. King.

鈥淭o be recognized is an honor!鈥� said Funches, a communication major who also serves as a diversity peer educator in the University鈥檚 Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion. 鈥淭his award shows that my community sees my commitment to fostering positive change, advocating for marginalized communities, and actively working towards promoting an equitable and compassionate campus community.鈥�

鈥楢 catalyst for change鈥�

The ceremony was the culminating event of the University鈥檚 annual celebration of Dr. King鈥檚 impactful work and the ongoing relevance and importance of his vision. A weeklong series of events were organized around the theme 鈥淓mPOWERing Democracy: Embodying Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King鈥檚 Vision.鈥� Funches was one of two undergraduate students who received an MLK Vision Award this year.

For Youssef Ossama 鈥�24, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.鈥檚 principles of justice, equality, and unity are just as important now as they were when Dr. King shared his vision with the world. Ossama considers them to be his guiding principles, inspiring him to continue to foster an inclusive University community.

A marketing major, Ossama is a member of the Pompea College of Business鈥檚 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee. He has also served in a variety of leadership roles on campus in which he has fostered diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging (DEIAB), including as a diversity peer educator in the Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion, as president of the University鈥檚 Muslim Student Association, and as vice president of community, advocacy, and diversity for the .

鈥淏eing recognized as someone who embodies the ideals of Dr. King is a profound honor and responsibility,鈥� said Ossama 鈥淭o be acknowledged in this way affirms that our collective efforts are making a positive impact, but it also serves as a reminder that there is much work to be done. It fuels my determination to continue contributing to the ongoing fight for social justice and equity.鈥�

The event included interfaith prayers for peace and a performance of 鈥淟ift Every Voice and Sing鈥� by Rare Desire. Ophelie Rowe-Allen, Ed.D., 鈥獀ice president of student affairs, dean of students, and co-chair of the MLK Celebration Committee, told the Charger community that the event is a tribute to the past and a call to action today.

鈥淥ur challenges should not weigh us down or dissuade us from reimagining a better, more just, and hopeful future,鈥� she encouraged. 鈥淎s we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., let us POWER ON to embody Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's vision of being a catalyst for change.鈥�

鈥業 was determined to make an impact鈥�

The event celebrated Chargers who have done just that. Kiana White 鈥�24, 鈥�25 M.S. and Toyin Folorunso 鈥�24 M.S. received the graduate student MLK Vision Award and honorable mention recognition, respectively.

White, who is pursuing her master鈥檚 degree in human resources, serves in a variety of student leadership roles at the University, including as president of the Women in Business Club and as a resident assistant. Folorunso, who hails from Nigeria, serves as president of the . A candidate in the University鈥檚 graduate program in finance and financial analytics, he was a member of the President鈥檚 Public Service Fellowship, volunteering with City Seed.

鈥淚 started my time as a Charger in 2020, during the peak of COVID-19, and I remember stating that I was determined to make an impact on this campus,鈥� said White. 鈥淎ll I knew was that when I left the University, I wanted to have impacted it in such a way that it would not be the same again. I hope the lives I touched and continue to touch understand that the life we live is not for ourselves but for the future generations behind us!鈥�

鈥淭he legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is evident in PanAfrican students and his unwavering advocacy for justice, equality, and freedom continues to inspire young Africans such as myself,鈥� Folorunso said to his fellow Chargers at the event. 鈥淭oday, as we reflect on Dr. King鈥檚 legacy, we must acknowledge the progress made and the challenges that persist.鈥�

鈥楬onor the legacy of Dr. King鈥�

The event followed a weeklong series of programs and events at the University that fostered community and critical conversation. They also enabled Chargers to volunteer and continue to advance Dr. King鈥檚 legacy of activism. It brought the University and local communities together, and Chargers recognized the Ansonia High School chapter of the Jr. NAACP for winning the MLK Regional Secondary School Students Challenge. The Charger community also recognized Marcus T. Harvin 鈥�23 A.S., 鈥�25, who was awarded the MLK Scholarship.

Harvin, who volunteered with Neighborhood Housing Services as part of the President鈥檚 Public Service Fellowship, founded fREshSTARTs, a nonprofit that serves the New Haven community. He says Dr. King has been one of his role models since he was a teen, and he was deeply honored to receive the scholarship award.

鈥淚t is important for the AV天堂网 community, and every other community throughout this continent, to honor the legacy of Dr. King,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ithout the selfless work of Dr. King and his comrades, this campus would not be the beacon of DEI that it presently is. I am extremely thankful for this illustrious honor. I pray that I can live up to the faith this institution and its community has afforded me.鈥�

鈥楳ake an impact on their communities and on the world鈥�

Harvin was also a member of the inaugural graduating class of the University's Prison Education Program and the Yale Prison Education Initiative last June. Zelda Roland, Ph.D., director of the program, was the staff recipient of the MLK Vision Award. She鈥檚 been teaching in prisons for nearly a decade, and she finds deep meaning in supporting the education of 鈥渆xtraordinary college students鈥� as they pursue their degrees. She says it was deeply meaningful to be recognized at the event along with Harvin.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been the honor of my life to see him come home, become a Charger on campus, make the most of every opportunity given to him, and hold that door open for other students coming home from prison behind him who are also looking to utilize their university education to make an impact on their communities and on the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淢arcus is such an inspiration and an example of what our program can do. I hope Marcus and I can inspire the Charger community to continue to come together to support college in prison and the example the AV天堂网 is setting for institutions of higher education across the country looking to extend real, rigorous access to higher education to students in prison.鈥�

Dr. Roland has worked closely with Michael Rossi, Ph.D., associate dean for faculty and curriculum for the University鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, to enable incarcerated students to earn their degrees while in prison and to receive support during reentry. Dr. Rossi accepted the Philip H. and Susan S. Bartels Advocacy, Leadership, and Service Award as part of the event.

鈥淭his award recognizes not just me but the entire team of people that work with our incarcerated students,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e all do it as a labor of love and find the work to be enriching. All aspects of what we are teaching our students, across all disciplines, is more powerful when it includes respect for others.鈥�

鈥楤e unafraid to ask the difficult questions鈥�

For Randall Horton, Ph.D., a professor of English, the importance of Dr. King鈥檚 vision was something he learned while growing up in Birmingham, Alabama. He, too, was formerly incarcerated, and he says that all he wanted was another chance to change his life for the better. He wanted to make his parents, who he says 鈥渓ived the Civil Rights Movement,鈥� proud. He then dedicated himself to challenging injustices and showing what one can do if given a second chance.

Dr. Horton has continued to do just that as an educator, an advocate, and an artist. His 鈥淩adical Reversal鈥� project, which earned a 2022 Creative Capital Award, is a 鈥減oetry band鈥� that fosters change and creativity. He is also an award-winning author who creates educational opportunities for those who are incarcerated. He remains dedicated to inspiring his students to be engaged changemakers.

鈥淚 want my students to understand the world and society in which they live,鈥� explains Dr. Horton, who was the faculty recipient of the MLK Vision Award. 鈥淚 want them to be unafraid to ask the difficult questions. I want them to know they are the change we seek, and I want them to be that change. In every class I teach I not only want to teach the material for the class, but I want us to expand the reach of how we think. Many of my students have gone on and are now advocates for social change, I am very proud of each and every one of them.鈥�

鈥楿nity within the Charger community鈥�

The event concluded with a panel discussion including Antionette Badillo, political action chair for the ; Michael Lawlor, J.D., an associate professor of criminal justice at the University and a nationally recognized expert on criminal justice reform; and Connecticut State Rep. Corey Paris. In a conversation moderated by Barbara Lawrence, J.D., MPA, vice president for institutional equity and diversity, chief diversity officer, and co-chair of the MLK Celebration Committee, the speakers discussed the fight for civil rights, the importance of voting rights, and promoting activism.

Funches, the undergraduate MLK Vision Award recipient, says the celebration was an important way to recognize Chargers鈥� dedication to Dr. King鈥檚 mission. They say it also encouraged further discussion and reflection since there is still important work to be done to make Dr. King鈥檚 dream a reality for everyone.

鈥淭o celebrate Dr. King鈥檚 vision is to show unity within the Charger community,鈥� said Funches. 鈥淥ur unity shows that the Charger community honors and acknowledges the foundational and strategic work Dr. King has laid out for individuals all over the world, and how that work continues today through the expansion of various movements. However, it is also important for us to see how much farther we have to go to achieve fairness, justice, and respect for all.鈥�