2023 MLK Jr. Community Awards

Thursday, January 19, 2023 from 4pm-5:30pm
Virtual Awards Ceremony
2023 Community Awards Video

To the Metropolitan Atlanta Community:

For over 20 years, the Rollins School of Public Health and the Goizueta Business School have honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards Program. This celebration grew out of a 1993 conversation between Dr. Joyce Essien and then Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH), Ray Greenburg, where they agreed that it was time to align the mission and values of Public Health with the precepts of social justice. Since then, RSPH has been joined by other Emory schools, including the Goizueta Business School, Emory School of Medicine , and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing have to sponsor this celebratory event. With support from Daniele Fallin, Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health, Gareth James, Dean of the Goizueta Business School, Vikas Sukhatme, Dean of the School of Medicine, Linda A. McCauley, Dean of the School of Nursing and as well as with the diligent work of faculty, staff, and students, this program has grown to be a major event on the calendar of King Week activities held at Emory. Our program is the only event that has consistently recognized and celebrated people and organizations in greater Atlanta whose work exemplifies the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This year's awards celebration theme is "The Sword That Heals: Championing Leaders of Peace, Love, and Justice" and is centered on MLK Jr.'s quotation - "Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles [those] who wield it. It is a sword that heals." With this, we recognize that despite the difficult times our communities and country have faced these past few years, there are people and moments that lift us up.

This year's MLK, Jr. Community Service Awards will recognize individuals and groups from the Emory and Atlanta communities who have taken up the mantle and led people through love and peace while promoting justice for all. Nominees may have demonstrated, but are not limited to, actions or initiatives within the Emory and broader Atlanta communities that extend beyond typical responsibilities in service of addressing an issue or challenging injustice.

> 2023 Community Service Awards Video