The 43rd annual MLK Commemoration event includes keynote remarks by Morehouse President David Thomas and the presentation of awards for community service and outstanding contributions to the institution

By Aleyna Rentz

/ Published Jan 17, 2025

Johns Hopkins' 43rd annual commemoration honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took place on Friday. Started by eminent Hopkins surgeon and civil rights activist Levi Watkins, the event celebrates both Dr. King and members of the Hopkins community who embody his spirit through volunteering.

Morehouse College President David Thomas delivered the keynote address, reflecting on this year's theme, The Dynamic Power of Hope. He recalled growing up in the 60s, a turbulent period during which upward mobility was difficult for Black Americans. Without Dr. King as a guiding example, Thomas said, he might not have continued his education.

"For many of my generation, Dr. King looms large," he said. "I was actually inspired to go to college by Dr. King because I read that he had gone to college. I didn't know anybody who had been to college, I didn't know what college was, but I knew I was going."

Following Thomas's speech, eight members of the university and health system, as well as a high school student, were recognized with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service for their commitment to volunteering. They are:

Adegboyega Abdulkadir, neonatologist, Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Sheila Castle, RN clinical supervisor, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Sophia Corrigan, physician assistant, Johns Hopkins After Care Clinic Elhadji Gueye, student, Baltimore School for the Arts; Johns Hopkins Summer Jobs Program intern Tyson McDuffy, inventory planner, Johns Hopkins Health System Cynthia Major Lewis, Director, Adult Psychiatric Emergency Services, Johns Hopkins Hospital Oluwabunmi Ogungbe, assistant professor, School of Nursing and Bloomberg School of Public Health Pratya Poosala, MPH candidate, Bloomberg School of Public Health John Sampson, associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, School of Medicine; executive director, Johns Hopkins Global Alliance of Perioperative Professionals

Image caption: Winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Community Service and the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Ideals Award

Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

The Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Ideals Award, which recognizes physicians at Johns Hopkins who have made outstanding contributions to the institution, was given to Nakiya Showell. She is the medical director of the Harriet Lane Clinic (HLC), associate program director of the Pediatrics Residency Program, general pediatrician, and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As medical director, Showell focuses on optimizing clinical operations, enhancing primary care training, and increasing patient and family engagement. She has mentored and advised numerous individuals throughout her career, many of whom are from underrepresented populations in medicine and have been highly successful in their academic pursuits.

Image caption: Nakiya Showell, winner of the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Ideals Award, poses for a photo with Kevin W. Sowers (left), president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Theodore DeWeese, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

"This award is one of the most meaningful awards I've ever received," Showell said after being presented with the award. "... To receive an award named after such a trailblazer and history maker as Dr. Watkins is truly and incredibly humbling. I'm often asked how as a person with multiple roles and many responsibilities, I'm able to be successful. And when I reflect on this question, I absolutely point to my faith in God first and foremost, but I also draw on the tremendous tenacity and drive that many others before me have demonstrated."

Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

Posted in Voices+Opinion, Politics+Society

Tagged civil rights, martin luther king jr.