Winners
Announced for State MLK Awards
Annual Commemorative Celebration Jan. 11 in downtown
Columbus
Seven Ohio individuals and organizations will be recognized
for their efforts to advance nonviolent social change at the
33rd annual Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative
Celebration. The free event, sponsored by the Ohio Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission, will be held at
noon Thursday, Jan. 11 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 125 E.
Broad St., Columbus.
The annual event also will feature speeches from the
following winners of the 2017 Statewide MLK Oratorical
Contest held last April:
-
Addison Captain, now a third-grader, Bedford
-
Elena Earley, now a fourth-grader, Columbus
-
Alexis Cunningham, now a seventh-grader, Westerville
-
Nana Eshun, now an 11th-grader, Canal Winchester
The awards and their recipients are as follows:
Governor’s Humanitarian Award
criteria: The recipient of this award has acted
independently of associations and organizations. The
recipient has given his or her time and service freely to
those in need without question and often without
recognition. This award honors quiet soldiers who promote
the welfare of humanity and elimination of pain and
suffering through their own selfless service.
Winner: Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Cleveland.
Theologian, pastor and civic leader, Moss has been
advocating for achievements in education, civil and human
rights and social justice his entire adult life. After 33
years as pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in
Cleveland, he retired in 2008. He also served as co-pastor
with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. at Ebenezer Baptist
Church, Atlanta. Moss served as a board member and a
regional director for the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference during the tenure of founding president Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. He also served as a national board
member and trustee of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for
Non-Violent Social Change. He was the first chair of the
Progressive National Baptist Convention’s Civil Rights
Commission and chair of Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Board of
Directors.
Community Building Award
criteria: The recipient selected in this category has made
significant contributions toward building a sense of unity
among Ohio citizens. The recipient has demonstrated
the ability to build safer communities through various
activities and programs that help to revitalize areas
and make our communities a more wholesome and desirable
place for living, learning and loving. The recipient has
used Dr. King’s vision of nonviolent social change in his
efforts to successfully bring people from diverse
backgrounds together to build a better community.
Winner: Cornerstone Global Network, Toledo.
This network is made up of more than 150 churches in the
United States, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa and
the United Kingdom. The work of the members of four campus
locations in Maumee, Lima, Toledo and Wayne, Mich. included
holding a volunteer outreach week during July 2017 to help
non-profit organizations with projects from cleaning trash
from parking lots, alleys, schools and neighborhoods to
doing yard work, painting ramps for the elderly,
volunteering at the West Ohio Food Bank and organizing
donations. In addition, after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas
last year, Cornerstone Global Network sent 13 volunteers to
help with clean-up efforts. Many of these volunteers were
skilled laborers. The network also raised more than $22,000
to help with the hurricane relief efforts.
Cultural Awareness Award
criteria: The recipient selected in this category has
demonstrated an appreciation for diversity and evidenced
skill in building and maintaining harmonious cross-cultural
relationships. The recipient’s achievements foster Dr.
King’s vision of unity among people of diverse cultural
backgrounds.
Winner: Marlon C. Shackelford, Dayton,
has spent the past 35 years building the self-esteem of
young people throughout the United States. As one of the
nation’s top violence prevention specialists, he addresses
young audiences on topics such as substance abuse,
unemployment, homelessness, crime and violence prevention
and educational deficits. In addition to addressing topical
issues, he motivates youth to respect themselves and others
while stressing the value of making wise and healthy
choices.
Economic Opportunity Award
criteria: The recipient in this category may be an
organization or individual who seeks to improve the quality
of life for its citizens in economically challenged areas
through economic incentive programs. The recipient has
demonstrated accomplishments in one or more of the following
areas: workforce development programs; upgrading skills of
existing workforce; infrastructure improvements; creation of
community partnerships; housing assistance programs; energy
efficiency programs; environmental programs; encouragement
of new business startups; or ability to take advantage of
state and federal aid to provide economic opportunity.
Winner: City of Cincinnati.
In 2014, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley assembled a team of
business and community leaders to improve the City of
Cincinnati’s contracting with minority- and women-owned
businesses. The result was the Economic Inclusion Advisory
Council. The council, which was led by Paul Booth and Kevin
Kline, organized a team of 70 volunteers to examine how city
government could create a sustainable structure to improve
economic inclusion. They also created metrics to gauge its
effectiveness. The mission of the council was to make the
city best-in-class and a regional catalyst and role model
for growing business for Minority Business Enterprise and
Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) certified businesses in
the public and non-profit sectors. With the mayor’s
leadership and city council’s support, the Department of
Economic Inclusion was created on Jan. 1, 2016, to serve as
a catalyst for change in procurement opportunities with the
City of Cincinnati.
Health Equity and Awareness Award
criteria: The recipient selected in this category
offers exemplary community outreach and educational programs
that serve an underserved population in the state. These
services increase the accessibility of health care for the
under-served while providing a high quality of customer
service.
Winner: Dr. Marilyn Joy Kindig, Dayton (formerly of Lima),
has been a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist for 19
years. In addition, she volunteers her medical expertise at
Heartbeat of Lima, which offers personal emotional support
to pregnant women and seeks practical ways to help them
overcome their difficulties. She also works one day per week
with Coleman Behavioral Services where she helps pregnant
and non-pregnant women with drug addiction. She consults at
the hospital when these women deliver to help their OB/GYN
deal with pain and social issues of women who struggle with
addiction.
Social Justice Award
criteria: The recipient selected in this category has made
significant contributions to achieving justice for
individuals or communities, including contributions made
through the legal, legislative and governmental systems as
they apply to the more vulnerable elements of our society.
Winner: Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr., Cincinnati.
Lynch’s accomplishments include being a founding member and
the current chair of the board of directors of the National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. He also
helped initiate the annual MLK Coalition march in Cincinnati
41 years ago. His long list of community involvement
includes serving as a board member for the Dan Beard Council
of the Boy Scouts of America and on the medical review board
of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He is a
former member of the board of directors for Housing
Opportunities Made Equal and a former commissioner on the
Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict
Management. He was the first president of the Pastors
Conference of Greater Cincinnati. Lynch has served as pastor
of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Cincinnati since 1970.
Youth: Capturing the Vision of Dr. King Award
criteria: The recipient, who must have been younger than 21
during the nomination period, exemplifies leadership,
nonviolence and commitment to excellence and interracial
cooperation. He also demonstrates an adherence to one or
more of Dr. King’s Six Principles of Nonviolence.
Winner: Keyaunte Jones, Toledo,
was named the Ohio Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls
Clubs of America in recognition of his leadership, service,
academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy
lifestyle. He then went on to win the Midwest Youth of the
Year Award. At his Boys & Girls Club, the Homer Hanham Unit
in Toledo, he served as a junior staff member and Keystone
Club member and also served as a program volunteer whenever
and wherever needed. At St. John’s Jesuit High School and
Academy, Jones was a standout student and athlete. He also
was a member of the Christian service organization,
Ambassador Society and baseball team, volunteered as a tutor
and delivered meals to homebound individuals. Jones is now a
freshman biology major at Grambling State University and a
member of the Tiger baseball team.
The commission is housed in the Equal Opportunity Division
of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, which
provides centralized support for state agencies.
For more information about the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Holiday Commission, visit
das.ohio.gov/mlk.
|