The keynote speaker will be Henry Averhart, a WSU doctoral student, Graduate School McNair program scholar and receipient of a King-Chavez-Parks fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education.
A native of Montgomery, Ala., Averhart was born two years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat and just as the civil rights movement began. He conducts interdisciplinary research drawing from the fields of communication, comparative ethnic studies, cultural anthropology and education.
During the event, the MLK Distinguished Service Awards will be presented by Michael Tate, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, Equity and Diversity. The 2009 Diversity Faculty Award will be announced by the 2008 award winner, associate professor Michael Pavel, of the College of Education. All nominees for awards will be recognized at the event and a reception will follow the program.
