Syracuse University will honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday at the university’s 27th annual celebration in the Carrier Dome. The event will feature Dave Bing, mayor of Detroit and SU alumnus, as its keynote speaker.

Bing, a native of Washington, D.C., received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1996 and was given an honorary doctorate of law degree in 2006, according to a Dec. 6 SU News release.

The event is the largest college campus celebration for King in the country to the knowledge of Hendricks Chapel, said Ginny Yerdon, administrative assistant and special events coordinator at Hendricks.

More than 2,000 people attended last year’s event, according to the release. Yerdon said 2,180 seats are provided in the Dome for this year’s event, but not all tickets have been sold yet.

A buffet dinner of traditional Southern cuisine will precede the event, titled ‘A Living Legacy: The Fierce Urgency of Now,’ at 5 p.m., Yerdon said. A video briefing the history of King and his legacy will follow, along with a performance by the Black Celestial Choral Ensemble.

Bing was chosen to speak at Saturday’s event because he ’embodies the virtues espoused by Dr. King and challenges all around him to live a life of honesty and high moral integrity,’ said Marissa Willingham, program associate in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and chair of the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, in the release.

Yerdon, who has worked on the event since 1999, said the speakers usually have a good, hopeful message of change.

Also at the event, five Unsung Hero Awards will be given to members of the SU and Syracuse community. Yerdon said the 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee was responsible for choosing the recipients of the awards. The committee has about 20 members, she said.

Yerdon said the awards are given to community members whose work is not always previously recognized.

The recipients of the 2012 Unsung Hero Awards are: Lt. Col. MaryJo Timpano, director of staff for the 174th Fighter Wing of the New York Air National Guard; Emily Kelsey-Gossard, a senior at Marcellus High School; Risa Cantu C’DeBaca, a senior women’s and gender studies major at SU; Cheryl Spear, SU doctoral student, scholar, advocate and service provider for individuals with disabilities; and Lynda Hamilton, manager of the Brockway Dining Center at SU, according to a Jan. 9 SU News release.

Spear, who died following a battle with cancer Dec. 11, is receiving the Unsung Hero Award posthumously. She was nominated by friends, colleagues and several students, according to the release.

After the awards are presented, Yerdon said a few performances will follow, including a poem reading and additional choir performance.

Tickets for the general public to attend the dinner and program are $25 through Hendricks. Students with meal plans can use a meal swipe to attend the dinner, Yerdon said, and students without meal plans can purchase a ticket for $15.

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Published on January 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

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