Indianapolis- The Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Indiana Holiday Commission recently announced the 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Indiana Holiday Celebration award recipients. This year's winners, to be honored at the Holiday Celebration on January 12, 2012 at the Indiana Statehouse, include:
Freedom of Justice Award: Sondra Matthews, publisher, Our Times Newspaper (Evansville, Ind.)
The Freedom Award recognizes local projects, programs, initiatives, or leaders that make significant contributions toward achieving the "dream" of Dr. King in the areas of economic development, poverty reduction, social justice and/or peace-making efforts.
Chairman's Award: Leroy Keyes, Purdue University, (West Lafayette, Ind.)
The Chairman's Award is granted to an individual or project whose major societal influence includes breaking down barriers that have divided us in the past and/or building ongoing relationships that foster respect, understanding, and harmony in our schools and communities.
Passing the Torch Award: Celeste Ledezma, junior, Manual High School (Indianapolis, Ind.)
The Passing the Torch Award is given annually to the winner of the Statewide MLK Art, Writing and Multimedia Contest. This year's contest asked students (using art, writing or multimedia) to demonstrate how they are answering Dr. King's call: "What are you doing for others in the community?". Hundreds of entries were received from around the state.
Spirit of Justice Award: Amos Brown, host, WTLC-AM 1310 AM (Indianapolis, Ind.)
The Spirit of Justice Award is the Indiana Civil Rights Commission's highest honor. The award was created to recognize Hoosiers, who inspired by Dr. King's dream, have devoted their personal and professional efforts to creating social justice in the State of Indiana. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of all Hoosiers and maintains a focus on achieving equality. This person promotes peace within their community, understands and improves communication, and facilitates cooperation between diverse populations. This person has shown visible and continued leadership in education, civil rights or the provision of significant social services in honor of Dr. King.
For more information about the 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Indiana Holiday Celebration or King activities in Indianapolis and throughout the state call (317) 232-2651 or visit: www.in.gov/icrc.
The Indiana Civil Rights Commission enforces the Indiana civil rights laws and provides education and services to the public in an effort to ensure equal opportunity for all Hoosiers and visitors to the State of Indiana. For more information on the Indiana Civil Rights Commission visit: www.in.gov/icrc.