The four Martin Luther King Jr. Unsung Hero award winners shake hands and embrace after receiving their honors Sunday at Syracuse University. They are (from left): Sacchi Patel, a graduate assistant at SU’s School of Education; Dr. Kwame Adusei, of St. Jo´seph’s Hospital Health Center’s Maternal Child Health Center; Eileen E. Baldassarre, C-STEP administrative coordinator at the State University College of Environmental Sci´ence and Forestry; and Omolara Funmilola Akinpelu, of Burton Blatt Institute at SU. A celebration of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday night at Syracuse University turned into a rousing call for encouraging a dialogue on race, racism and equality in society.
It was the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in the Carrier Dome that blended words and music and honored the everyday work of the people SU named the Unsung Heroes of the Syracuse community.
To some of those attending, it was a stirring event.
"It was the first time I attended and participated, and I thought it was absolutely amazing," said Ava Andrews of Syracuse. "The diversity of the participants in this program is something the world should see."
The annual event was attended by more than 2,000 people, said Kelly H. Rodoski, speaking for Syracuse University.
As part of the event, Syracuse University each year honors what it calls Unsung Heroes. This year's group includes:
Omolara Funmilola Akinpelu, research associate with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Akinpelu's work with ARISE and Vera House were noted, especially her work to help women with disabilities who survive domestic and sexual violence.
Eileen E. Baldassarre, C-STEP administrative coordinator at the State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Baldassarre’s outreach work to a range of community programs was especially noted.
Sacchi Patel, a graduate student in SU’s School of Education, who was honored in part for his efforts to help college-age men talk about male gender roles.
Dr. Kwame Adusei, an obstetrician-gynecologist with St. Joseph Hospital Health Center's Maternal Child Health Center. A native of Ghana, Adusei has made multiple trips to his hometown to provide medical care in that community. Adusei also financed and helped build a pharmacy in that town.
The honorees were surrounded by music, dance, calls to action and a keynote speech by Kirt Wilson, an African-American scholar and associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Pennsylvania State University.
Wilson encouraged his listeners to carry forth the dialogue and spirit of King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, and to not just hold them up as icons.
It is important, said Wilson to not make "Dr. King and the (Civil Rights) movement invisible as it stands in plain sight" and to keep the discussion on race and racism in today's society ongoing.
The words and the event echoed with the Rev. Rayfield Taylor, of Syracuse.
"I think it's reaching the truth behind the effects of Dr. King's life and what he represented," Taylor said.
SU will continue the King celebration Saturday with a community festival to celebrate arts, culture and education in the Syracuse area. It will be from 1 to 4 p.m. at Seymour Dual Language Academy, 108 Shonnard St.
Contact Bob Niedt at bniedt@syracuse.com.