Syracuse University honored five community members Sunday who have made positive impacts on the lives of others, embodying the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., as part of the annual Unsung Hero Awards.

The theme for SU’s 34th MLK Celebration was “The Global Impact of Civil Rights,” and the awards’ categories were community student, SU student, SU faculty, SU staff and community member.

“Each of these individuals represents the spirit of MLK in their own way,” said Bea González, vice president for community engagement, as she presented the awards.

Amiah Crisler, an 11-year-old artist, was awarded in the community student category. Crisler won first place two times in a row as part of a street painting competition in the youth division. One of her pieces has gone viral, with more than 70,000 shares.

“It an honor to be selected as a young artist because I think this is an opportunity to bring art into everybody’s homes,” Crisler said in an interview before the event.

Crisler was the youngest among the five to be chosen for the award.

“MLK brought people together, and that’s what I like to do with my art,” Crisler said when asked how she embodies King’s spirit.

Syeisha Byrd, director of Office of Engagement Programs at Hendricks Chapel, was chosen for the SU staff member category. She oversees the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry. Byrd, a Syracuse native, also worked for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse for 16 years.

“I am a city resident, always have been,” Byrd said.

Byrd said she wants to act as the bridge between SU and the city of Syracuse.

“I don’t do the work that I do for acknowledgment,” she said. “I do it because it’s what I love to do. But being nominated by more than one person was really cool.”

Stephen Mahan, who was a professor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the director of the Photography and Literacy Project, also received an award. Through a project, he and SU students helped young people hone their literacy and self-expression skills via photography. Mahan died on July 26, 2018 in a motorcycle crash. He was 61.

“Steven’s work with Light Work community darkrooms left a huge impression as he used photography to connect people,” González said, “and it was that magic of photos that impacted many.”

Mahan’s wife, Mary Lynn Mahan, accepted the SU faculty award on his behalf.

Priya Penner, a junior in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, won the student award. She serves as the president of the Disability Student Union and works for the Disability Cultural Center.

“You are a tireless activist,” González said. “In your time here at SU, you’ve made tremendous strides as an advocate for the disabled.”

Penner has arranged a yearly Disability Day of Mourning at SU, a vigil that honors and commemorates people with disabilities that were murdered by relatives or caregivers.

“We honor you for your leadership of the Disability Student Union, for your long history as an advocate for disability justice, and for being an ally in many different spaces on the Syracuse University campus,” González continued.

Marissa Saunders, the recipient of the community member award, works for the Center for Community Alternatives, serving as director of community engagement for Syracuse and Rochester.

“I knew that the agency’s mission was something I believed in, because it was basically what I’ve always done,” Saunders said.

Saunders developed programs such as the Transition Coach Program, which aims to help former juvenile delinquents readjust to school life. She also developed the Nurturing Individuals Abilities Ministries, which provides support and empowerment for currently, or formerly, incarcerated women in Onondaga County and aids young women in danger of exploitation.

“I’m blown away to receive something with (King’s) name attached to it,” Saunders said. “I’m honored. I’m humbled, I’m extremely humbled.”

Published on January 27, 2019 at 11:47 pm

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