MLK Leadership Awards

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards

 

The MLK Leadership Award Ceremony and Reception will be held on February 15, 2024,
from 5:00 – 7:30pm, Samberg Conference Center, 6th floor. This event is open to the entire MIT community.

 

MLK Leadership Awards are given annually to students, alumni, staff, groups, and faculty members who embody the spirit of Dr. King’s work. “Service to the community” is defined in the broadest sense and includes academic, research, religious, and secular contributions in which integrity, leadership, creativity, and positive outcome are apparent.

 

2024 MLK Leadership Award Winners

Undergraduate Student Award: Isa Liggans
Graduate Student Award: Alvin Harvey
Staff Award: Tracie Jones-Barrett
Faculty Award: Hernandez Moura-Silva
Alumni Award: Yamilee Toussaint
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Undergraduate Student Award: Isa Liggans

The recipient of our MLK Leadership Award in the undergraduate student category is Isa Liggans, a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. 

In addition to baking tasty treats for his friends and dorm mates, as a member of the Muslim Student Association, Isa has been a steadfast volunteer for both student sermons and for organizing Ramadan dinners for the Muslim students on campus.

Most notably, he took on the project of renovating the Muslim prayer space in W11. As one nominator stated: “This meant revitalizing a space that had not seen renovations in nearly a decade and transforming it into a more inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. He took charge of managing the budget, coming up with new designs for the space, meeting with all necessary stakeholders, and scheduling the timeline for the various projects, including painting the walls, replacing the carpets, and ordering new furniture. He took special care to reach out to as many people as possible to get input on what changes needed to be made in the space to foster a welcoming environment.”

Graduate Student Award: Alvin Harvey

Alvin Harvey is a MIT PhD candidate in the Aero Astro Human Systems Lab and a citizen of the Navajo Nation. He is a Graduate Community Fellow, and a crucial leader in MIT’s Native American Indigenous community on campus including NASA, the Native American and Indigenous Association, AISES, and MIT’s First Nations Launch rocket team.

Alvin has played a critical role in many important aspects of the MIT Indigenous community, including the formation of an Indigenous Alumni group, the success of “The Indigenous History at MIT” course, and working with local indigenous elders to start an exchange program between MIT Students and Aquinnah Wampanoag youth.

To quote a nominator, his leadership has also played an integral role in completing many collective efforts, “including getting a dedicated native student space on campus in 2020, renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s day in 2020, and [an MIT] indigenous faculty [hire] in 2023.” 

Another nominator highlighted his “personal integrity, spiritual leadership, calm and patient positivity, aptitude for teaching, gift for mentoring, and genius for community building.”

Staff Award: Tracie Jones-Barrett

Tracie Jones-Barrett has stepped up to take on the Interim role of Deputy Institute Community Equity Officer while continuing to be the Assistant Dean for Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in SHASS. She has done so with grace, understanding, and exceptional leadership. 

Tracie works to further social justice not only on MIT’s campus, but in the greater Boston/Cambridge community as well, including a project she is currently working on at Fenway High School that will use comics to explore racial and gender equity, climate change, and economic inequality. 

One nomination letter we received stated, “We are profoundly convinced that bestowing the Martin Luther King Jr. Award upon Dr. Jones-Barrett will not only recognize a meritorious individual but also invigorate others to embrace the cause of service and social justice. In honor of the 50th anniversary, we find it crucial to acknowledge the contributions of a leader who didn’t care about titles or credit but the well-being and unity of an institution that has the opportunity to transform lives to impact the world.”

Faculty Award: Hernandez Moura-Silva

Assistant Professor of Biology, Hernandez Moura-Silva endeavors to create community and belonging in his lab and amongst his students, and integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion into his work, knowing that it’s a critical aspect of scientific advancement. He is also an advocate for institutional change at MIT. 

To quote a nominator: 

Prof. Moura-Silva “persistently champions affordable childcare for students and postdocs, as well as better immigration assistance for foreign students. [He] actively contributes to organizing career development and summer research programs for high school and undergraduate students, ensuring that opportunities are accessible to all… His unwavering dedication to diversity, fairness, and inclusion, as well as his commitment to mentoring students and conducting research for the betterment of human health, truly exemplify the values and ideals of MLK.”

Alumni Award: Yamilee Toussaint

Yamilee Toussaint earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2008 and a Master of Science in Teaching from Pace University. She is a social justice advocate and works tirelessly to increase diversity in STEM. 

She has creatively integrated her background and love for dance with her passion for gender and racial equity in her organization “STEM From Dance,” which introduces young girls to STEM concepts, giving them the skills, experience, and confidence to hopefully one day pursue careers in STEM.   

To quote a nominator:

“Dance is an approachable and enjoyable medium that allows girls to comfortably engage with STEM concepts… [Yamilee has] vocally emphasized the importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM and has tirelessly worked to create opportunities for girls of color to pursue meaningful careers in STEM fields….Yamilee is the embodiment of a true leader who is making an indelible mark on the world.”

Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson has truly gone above and beyond to receive this MIT MLK Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Described by Time Magazine as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science,” Dr. Jackson has held senior leadership positions in academia, government, industry, and research. A theoretical physicist, Dr. Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics, both from MIT. 

Dr. Jackson is a Life Member of the MIT Corporation. She holds 57 honorary doctoral degrees.

For 23 years, Dr. Jackson was the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest technological research university in the United States.

She has served on President Barack Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board, on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and she currently serves on the Defense Science Board of the U.S. Department of Defense, on the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board, and on the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. In addition to these and innumerable other boards she has served on, Dr. Jackson was Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

She is an international fellow of the British Royal Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

This MIT MLK Lifetime Achievement award will be but one among many awards that Dr. Jackson has received. To name just a few, she has been awarded the W.E.B. DuBois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, the American Physical Society Joseph A. Burton Forum Award, and the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest honor in science and engineering.

Describing her as “a national treasure,” the National Science Board selected Dr. Jackson as the recipient of The Vannevar Bush Award for “a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.”

We are incredibly honored to have Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson joining us this evening to both deliver our keynote address, and to celebrate her many accomplishments and well deserved accolades. 

Previous MLK Leadership Award recipients

For a complete list of all previous MLK Leadership Award recipients, by year, visit the MLK Scholars website.