CSU, Tri-C to host 28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Recognition Event

Cleveland State University and Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) will host the 28th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Recognition Event at Tri-C’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center from 8:30 to 10:30 AM on Tuesday, Jan. 22. 

The event is a celebration of young dreamers who will lead the charge for positive change through social activism, innovative thinking and visionary leadership. Titled “MLK: The Dream Endures,” the event will challenge guests to build upon the gains of historical civil rights movements and help build a future filled with hope and promise. 

“Dr. King’s words, teachings, and lessons are as relevant and exigent today as they were when he was taken away from us 51 years ago,” says Dr. Ronnie A. Dunn, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Cleveland State. “I find his exhortation that, ‘the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,’ prescient and most fitting for a time like this.”

Four emerging student leaders from CSU and Tri-C will share their visions for how to shape a more inclusive and equitable future through community engagement:

• Julian Wilson studies business administration and marketing at Cleveland State. He is the former president of the CSU Black Student Union and currently serves as a student navigator in the university’s Office of Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he plans to obtain an MBA and attend law school. 
   
• Oluwatoni Kolawole studies public safety management at CSU. She is a member of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors College and the LINK Scholars Program. She plans to attend law school to become a law enforcement analyst, defense attorney and prison advocate. Her goal is to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
   
• Nepali refugee Chandra Bastola moved to the United States at age 14 to escape poverty, access quality education and medical treatment, and build a better life. She currently studies nursing at Tri-C and aspires to assist people who have endured acts of violence and oppression. 
   
• Mohamed Ag Almahamoud was born in Mali, West Africa. He studies mechanical engineering at Tri-C, where he serves as student government president, joint student council vice president and student ambassador. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at CSU and is determined to leave his mark on the world.

The event is emceed by Jacklyn A. Chisholm, president and CEO of the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland (CEOGC), a private nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives through education, personal and professional development programs and support services.

Cleveland State University President Harlan M. Sands and Cuyahoga Community College President Alex Johnson will deliver opening remarks. 

Tri-C’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center is located at 2500 E. 22 St., Cleveland, Ohio 44115.