In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. climbed the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the speech, Dr. King expresses his vision of America: a nation where people are judged for the content of their character, not by the color of their skin.
Sixty years later, the legacy of Dr. King continues to live on at Oakland University. On Jan. 15, MLK Day, OU hosted its 32nd annual Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Ceremony, where seven exceptional students were honored for doing their part in keeping Dr. King’s dream alive.
After an extensive application process, Nosaiba Lela, Tayion Williams, Tuger Xiong, Ashamoye Mullings, Shamiah Woods, AJ Joseph and Kayla Smith were chosen as the 2024 Keeper of the Dream honorees. Each student was chosen based on their academic performance, leadership qualities and commitment to promoting unity on OU’s campus.
“I applied for the Keeper of the Dream scholarship because I wanted to show other young women that it is possible to step outside of the box and help others on campus be more well-rounded human beings,” Mullings said.
The Keeper of the Dream Awards Celebration would not be possible without the dedicated staff, faculty members and students who organize the celebration. Glenn McIntosh, the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer at OU, is proud of the university’s homage to Dr. King’s legacy.
“For me, Dr. King’s legacy is about service — service to others for the betterment of others. Here we are now still in that fight for social justice,” McIntosh said. “At Oakland University, we want everyone to have the freedom to explore whatever they want to and to become whatever they want to be.”
Each year, the Keeper of the Dream organizers invite a community activist to deliver the ceremony’s keynote address. This year, Loni Love was invited to be the special guest speaker.
Love, a native Detroiter, attributes her rise from rags to riches to her perseverance in seeking a better life for herself through education.
“You have to put in work to fulfill your dreams. MLK put in work for years. His first thing was education,” Love said. “Growing up, no one talked to me about college. When I graduated high school, there was never a discussion about higher education. We have to keep having discussions about how important education is.”
Love shared what Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech means to her.
“I carry a little bit of Dr. King within me every day. Dr. King’s dream was a society where we are judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character,” Love said. “I always try to work on my character. I was raised in a tough situation, and I was able to get out. I want to be an example for that child who may be in a really tough situation. Through my platform, I want to show people that they can pursue their dreams, no matter their situation.”
For those interested in learning more about the Keeper of the Dream awards, please visit Oakland University’s webpage.
