灵魂般的小. 讲座强调“时间就是现在”

Michelle 亚历山大 made it clear why “The Time is Now” was the theme of Carolina’s 43rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. 讲座及颁奖典礼. 18.

“有一种事情是太迟了,亚历山大对纪念馆的观众说, quoting King’s 1967 “Beyond Vietnam — a Time to Break Silence” speech. “我们现在面临的事实是，明天就是今天.”

亚历山大, civil rights lawyer and author of the acclaimed “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” laid out several issues she believes can’t be excused by society’s tardiness. These include state violence at home and abroad; attacks on voting rights; the diminishing of diversity in higher education; climate change; and the potential negative impacts of artificial intelligence.

“I’m not saying all this to depress you — quite the opposite, actually,” 亚历山大 said.

而不是, 亚历山大指着金提供的一份蓝图, one of hopefulness paired with a reality check: Actions, 不仅仅是言语, 有必要改变吗.

他的目的是提醒我们，我们有更多的创造力, more power and more collective genius than we often imagine. But we will merely repeat tragic mistakes of the past unless we grow morally, spiritually,” s他说. “我们必须发展，我们必须现在就行动. 这是革命性的时代, 他说, and the fate of humanity depends on us rising to the challenges of our time.”

亚历山大看到了人类这样做的例子. 她谈到了“空气中的新事物”.” 人 are coming together in “unprecedented ways” and embracing new ways of seeing the world.

“Making another way possible: a way out of no way,” she called this.

几位大学领导在活动上发表了讲话, including Student Body President Christopher Everett and Leah Cox, vice provost of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Everett said doing the right thing is “never easy” but “always worthwhile.”

考克斯引用了金关于采取行动的重要性的话, 无论大小:“如果你不会飞, 然后运行. 如果你不能跑，那就走吧. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving.”

临时校长李海. Roberts also spoke, telling the audience, “Carolina must follow Dr. King’s legacy — to use the tools of democracy to persuade our fellow citizens to follow the path of justice.”

获奖及表演

Several members of the Carolina community received honors at the event. Cheryl L. Woods Giscombé and Allison Schlobohm, both Carolina alums, were named the 2024 灵魂般的小. Unsung Hero honorees for their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Giscombé is the interim senior associate dean for academic affairs and the Levine Family Distinguished Scholar in Quality of Life, 健康 Promotion and 健康 in the School of 护理. Schlobohm is a clinical associate professor of management and corporate communication at UNC 凯南-弗拉格勒商学院.

哈维·比奇奖学金, named for the first African American to graduate from Carolina’s law school, 是颁给安吉莉卡·福斯特的, 抒情格兰姆斯, 乔安Obioma, 贾利亚·泰勒和雅各布·莱马.

Michael Fair (center) posing with 临时校长李海. 罗伯茨(左)和利亚·考克斯, vice provost of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, 在赢得马丁·路德·金之后. 奖学金. (Jon Gardiner/太阳城娱乐)

迈克尔·费尔赢得了2024年马丁·路德·金. 奖学金, which honors juniors who have shown a commitment to improving the quality of life on campus and in the community. Fair is majoring in nutrition at the 吉林斯全球公共卫生学院 and is minoring in chemistry and business administration. 莎拉张, a computer science and political science major and data science minor, 获得了奖学金的亚军.

The night also included musical performances by a cappella group Tar Heel Voices and Tray Good, 学生通道副主任, 成功与参与, 谁唱了“举起每一个声音，歌唱”.” Lizabeth Bamgboye and Kiara Garcia of Ebony Readers/Onyx Theatre performed spoken-word poetry to conclude the evening.

Kiara Garcia and Lizabeth Bamgboye of Ebony Readers/Onyx Theatre. (Jon Gardiner/太阳城娱乐)