Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards, which will be presented at the sixteenth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebration Breakfast at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. in the Keystone Room. Nominees for the awards should exemplify two or more aspects of Dr. King\u2019s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity, and respect for humanity.<\/p>\n
Two awards will be presented: one to a member of the ESU community and one to a member of the community at large.\u00a0ESU candidates must be currently employed by the university as a faculty member, staff member, administrator, and\/or must be currently enrolled as a student for at least two full-time semesters with a minimum grade point average of 2.5.\u00a0Candidates from the community must be current residents who are active in the local community.\u00a0All nominations must include a short biography of the candidate and three letters of recommendation.\u00a0Nomination forms are available online at www.esu.edu\/mlk<\/a>, or by visiting The Pocono Record (511 Lenox Street, Stroudsburg, Pa.) or ESU\u2019s Henry A. Alumni Center (Smith Street, East Stroudsburg, Pa.).\u00a0The deadline for submissions is December 7, 2012.<\/p>\n Keynote Speaker Announced<\/strong> In 1970, Jones joined the Rutgers law faculty where he taught courses in criminal law, criminal procedure, civil rights, constitutional law and race law theory.\u00a0His research and writing have focused on free speech and hate crime.\u00a0Now retired, Jones continues to write on various subjects.<\/p>\n Reserve Your Spot Today<\/strong> As a result of the breakfast, two Boddie Scholarship awardees will each receive a $2,950 scholarship award for the Spring 2013 semester. Scholarship winners are selected based on their ability to demonstrate, through community service work or university involvement, a commitment to Dr. King\u2019s philosophy of non-violence, equality, justice, cultural diversity, and a respect for humanity.<\/p>\n Breakfast organizers are also asking regional business organizations to consider becoming a sponsor of this community event. For more information visit www.esufoundation.org\/mlksponsorship<\/a> or contact Angela Beers at 570-422-3179 or abeers@esufoundation.org<\/a> no later than December 3, 2012.<\/p>\n
\nThe keynote speaker for this year\u2019s Celebration Breakfast is Retired Professor Charles Jones, J.D.\u00a0Professor Jones worked closely with Dr. King on voter registration cases in Alabama while an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund from 1965-66.\u00a0Raised in Chicago, Jones earned his juris doctorate from the University of Illinois and a master\u2019s degree in public administration from Harvard.\u00a0He was also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.<\/p>\n
\nReservations are now being taken for the breakfast at a cost of $30 per person and $8 for ESU students, with proceeds to benefit the Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund. The Boddie Fund provides financial assistance to undergraduate students of color at ESU. In 1904, Ms. Boddie was the first African-American student to graduate from what was then known as East Stroudsburg State Normal School and ultimately became East Stroudsburg University in 1983.<\/p>\n