The Syracuse University Martin Luther King Jr. 2018 Celebration committee is searching for their next Unsung Heroes.

The Unsung Hero Awards are given to four people in the Syracuse area “who exemplify the spirit, life, teachings and work of Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Sylvia Langford, chair of the celebration committee.

“When we say Unsung, what we are trying to get at are those people that have not previously been recognized … people who do things that are above and beyond their job or student expectations,” Langford said.

Award categories are for youth/teen, adult, faculty/staff and student at SU or the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

On Jan. 28, about 1,800 people will gather in the Carrier Dome for the 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. During the ceremony, the Unsung Hero award will be given, followed by a keynote speaker and student performers to honor the beliefs and activism of the civil rights leader.

Some people believe the award can only be given to individuals within the SU and SUNY-ESF community, Langford said. However, anyone from Onondaga, Madison, Oswego, Cayuga and Cortland counties are eligible for any of the categories, except for the student category.

Nominations are due Monday.

Langford has been on the celebration committee for the past 10 years. Anyone can be nominated or self-nominate, but the qualities of an Unsung Hero award recipient don’t only include doing a “good job,” she said.

Vincent Love is one of four 2017 recipients of the Unsung Hero Award.

Love said not only being nominated was an honor, but receiving the award “meant a lot to me and took me off guard, because I never saw myself in that light.”

For the past 10 years, Love has been involved with “100 Black Men of America,” a national organization that helps improve the quality of life for young and older men in the black community. He has been the president of the Syracuse chapter for the past eight years.

“Being born and raised here, and remembering what it was like when I grew up and seeing the changes that had taken place — and not all of them being positive changes — I wanted to create a safe and productive environment for the young people to grow up in so they can be the best adults they can possibly be,” Love said.

The Hendricks Chapel Dean’s Office is the treasurer for the celebration.

Ginny Yerdon, an administrative assistant at Hendricks Chapel and event coordinator for the celebration, said she felt the award is extremely special.

“These people aren’t recognized for their acts in the newspaper or on television and should be recognized for all of their good work they do in their community,” Yerdon said.

Published on October 4, 2017 at 1:07 am

Contact Shayna: sscott01@syr.edu