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Syracuse University held its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Sunday in the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time in-person since January 2020.

Iris St. Meran, a reporter for NewsChannel 9 and the moderator for SU’s 38th annual MLK King celebration, called the program the “largest on-campus event in the world to honor Dr. King.” Over 1800 individuals gathered in attendance for the celebration, SU Associate Dean Rebecca Reed Kanrowitz confirmed.

The celebration, which featured keynote speaker Rev. Phil Turner of Syracuse’s Bethany Baptist Church, recognized the Unsung Hero Award winners for 2023. The awards, first given in 1994, intend to honor Dr. King’s vision of creating positive change, according to an SU News release.

The six recipients for 2023 — Nichole Henry, Candice Ogbu, Thomas J. Wilson, Oceanna Fair, Trinity Brumfield and Camille Ogden — represent current SU students, university faculty and members of the local Syracuse community.

Turner focused his remarks on Syracuse’s history of enforcing segregationist policies, like the destruction of the economically-prosperous and historically Black 15th Ward to the lingering racial impact of I-81.

Turner said those in attendance have an “obligation to plant new seeds” of respect, care and hope in an effort to dismantle the “poisonous seeds” of white supremacy and the persisting impacts of slavery and racial segregation.

“The time has come for untruths to be abandoned,” Turner said. “America was founded on seeds of untruth, (and) the motive was fueled by the pursuit of money, material gain and power. No one here needs to be ashamed about the truth about history because none of us were there when these poisonous seeds were planted.”

Santiago Noblin | Presentation Director

Rev. Brian Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel and one of the ceremony’s co-chairs, offered a moment of silence for 11-year-old Brexialee Torres-Ortiz, who was killed in a drive-by shooting on Jan. 16 near Dr. King Elementary School. Konkol called on the audience to comfort those who grieve the impact of violence and to compel positive action from the community.

The program included a dinner and featured musical performances by the Southside Academy Royalty Step Team and SU’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, among other groups.

Marissa Willingham, the manager of the SU Intercultural Collective and an Unsung Hero Award selection team member, also honored the 2021 and 2022 Unsung Hero award recipients at Sunday evening’s event. The ceremonies and celebrations for both years were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chris Montgomery, the director of Syracuse Build, an initiative that connects job seekers from Syracuse’s historically-marginalized communities in the construction industry, said he comes to SU’s celebration almost every year. Montgomery said the program has served as an opportunity to build connections and celebrate the people who live in the Syracuse community.

“For the people that are being honored, it’s a great way to see the hard work that doesn’t go unnoticed in our community,” Montgomery said. “For all the folks that are pouring out, it’s awesome to be able to witness that.”

Sunday’s program was the first annual MLK celebration that SU Higher Education Opportunity Program counselor Chris Davis has attended during his time at the university. He said it was “amazing” to see how many high school and college students from around the community attended the celebration.

Chancellor Kent Syverud said he was “particularly grateful” for the number of young people in attendance. Syverud said everyone in the Syracuse community must confront “injustice, inequality and indifference” and demand change.

Malique Lewis, a junior at SU and the other co-chair of this year’s ceremony, thanked those in attendance for honoring Dr. King’s dream for a beloved community.

“A beloved community is a community that stands together, a community that chooses love over hate, a community that shows us to shine its light to defeat darkness, (and) a community that continues the legacy of the great Dr. Martin Luther King,” Lewis said. “I want you all to look around you right now today because tonight we are that beloved community.”

Published on January 23, 2023 at 12:17 am

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2