At the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration last week, university president Jens Frederiksen said the event “reminds us of the important responsibility we all share individually and collectively in building a world that reflects the values and ideals of a brighter future for all.”
The celebration included awarding those who continue to go above and beyond in demonstrating diversity and inclusion in their lives.
“We recognize those who embody the spirit of service and justice in our community,” said Jade Roman, assistant director of the Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
The civil rights leader’s birthday became a federal holiday in 1983, when Pres. Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill that recognizes the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On Tuesday, the first university awards announced were the MLK Jr. Scholarship Awards, which were given to sophomore Dorian Levy and freshman Antwain Johnson.
Levy is a criminal justice major with a minor in general psychology and concurrently pursuing a Master of Public Administration. Levy is also the vice president of the Black Student Union and sergeant-at-arms of the Caribbean Student Association.
Johnson is a communications major with a concentration in film and is actively involved in community service work. He is a board member for the Coalition for Peace and Empowerment, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering youth in using their voices and talents.
The MLK Jr. Vision Award was awarded to Dr. Janet Garcia-Hallett, an associate professor of criminal justice. Garcia-Hallett’s research is primarily focused on “the detrimental impact of incarceration on communities of color and the intersectional obstacle women of color face before, during, and after incarceration.”
“Dr. King reminded us that a dream requires vision, courage, and action,” said Garcia-Hallett. She explained what vision and action mean in her dream of helping women who have been impacted by our prison system.
The MLK Jr. Student Vision Award recognized two students, senior Anita Omary, a diversity peer educator for the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) and vice president of Community Advocacy & Diversity, and graduate student Charmi Bharatkumar Desai, with a bachelor of dental surgery. Desai is active in the student public health association and the Indian student council.
“In the middle of things is how Dr. King lived his life. How he fulfilled his calling to be an agent of change in the tumultuous times in which he lived and died,” said Martin O’Connor, winner of the 2026 Philip H. and Susan S. Bartels Award, Advocacy, Service & Leadership.
O’Connor is a professor of practice for the fire science and emergency management department. He served the New Haven Fire Department for 30 years, and retired as chief of the department in 1998. He became an attorney in Connecticut and an ordained deacon of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
O’Connor mentioned the Latin phrase, “In medias res,” meaning in the middle of things, to showcase King’s fight through intense moments and the inspiration in fighting through our own tumultuous times.
Senior Jamesha Barrett, a public health major, performed the poem “I Will Rise” by Maya Angelou, that set the tone for the keynote speaker, Eric Clemons.
Clemons is the CEO and president of Connecticut Center of Arts and Technology, ConnCAT and the Connecticut community outreach and revitalization program that creates art-based educational environments for underserved students and training programs for unemployed adults. ConnCORP, developed in 2018, was designed to explore and implement opportunities for economic development and investment in New Haven.
Clemons shared his vision for change through his project with Dixwell, known as a historically black community, and its ongoing issues with poverty.
“Profound heaviness but a good heaviness,” said Clemons at the end of the celebration.
