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After taking an African American Studies class, he said, he shifted course away from the finance degree he’ d begun two years earlier to pursue study in the field and his eventual work with the Urban League.
University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph. D., noted the impact of a speech King gave on the SLU community and its continuing commitment to justice, racial equity and the St. Louis community.“ SLU will join you, our community partners, in breathing life into dreams,” Pestello said.“ We are reminded that we must not give up, and we must not give in to extreme pessimism. We are not alone in this endeavor. Nor was Dr. King.”
Civil Rights activist Xernona Clayton, in turn, complimented Pestello’ s leadership, as did McMillan and other speakers. Young turned talk of inspiration into reality before beginning his speech. As the ambassador took to the podium, he invited students from St. Louis’ s Marian Middle School to join him onstage. Noting that he had received many awards in his life, he told the students and crowd that he’ d formed a new habit- to give the accolades he earned to students and schools. He presented his statuette and its accompanying city proclamation and other honors to the two girls. The award, he said, would serve as a reminder of Dr. King’ s work and of the work yet to do.
2018 Honorees
- Marc Haydel Morial, current president of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Xernona Clayton, who became involved with King’ s work during her work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and National Urban League during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, was honored with the Civil Rights Legend Award.
-Malik Ahmed, founder and chief executive officer of Better Family Life, Inc., of St. Louis, and Tom J. Irwin, executive director of Civic Progress, received the Civic Leadership Award.
-Judge Glenda Hatchett, the first African American chief presiding judge and presiding judge of the Fulton County( Georgia) Juvenile Court, was given the Legal Legend Award.
-Al Mitchell, president of the Monsanto Fund and vice president for community relations at Monsanto, received the Corporate Leadership Award.
-Thomas J. Irwin, Executive Director of Civic Progress, a group of the 30 largest employers in the St. Louis region, which formed more than 50 years ago to deal with issues of civic importance. Irwin has more than 25 years of diverse public policy and public administration experience.
-SLU’ s Kira Hudson Banks, Ph. D., professor of psychology, was honored with the Donald Brennan Humanitarian Award.
-Ambassador Andrew Young, an activist, minister, author, former member of Congress, and former U. S. ambassador to the United Nations, received the Civil Rights Legend Award.
Jonathan Smith, Ph. D., SLU vice president for diversity and community engagement, welcomed the assembled while SLU alumnus McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, acted as the tribute’ s emcee. Smith closed the official program before a final prayer from Justin Daffron, S. J., SLU’ s assistant to the president for growth strategies, saying,“ My heart is full of joy and happiness. This is a room full of connections across every area of our region where we need to work for change.”
Ambassador Andrew Young( right) has made a habit of presenting awards he receives to students to inspire them. On Friday, Jan. 12, he gave the Civil Rights Legend Award that he received at the MLK Tribute, co-hosted by Saint Louis University and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, to students from St. Louis’ s Marian Middle School.