February 3, 2026<\/p>\n
St. John\u2019s University celebrated the legacy of civil rights icon\u00a0Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.<\/a> on January 29 at an evening event sponsored by the\u00a0Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA)<\/a>\u00a0designed to begin the University\u2019s recognition of\u00a0Black History Month<\/a>\u00a0across the\u00a0Queens<\/a>, NY, campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Dinner, held in the\u00a0D\u2019Angelo Center<\/a> Ballroom, recognized seven members of the St. John\u2019s community\u2014including students Valent Benedict Guevarra, Syeda Hijab Fatima, Marcus Hardy, and Nikolai Sotelo\u2014for their work in promoting Dr. King\u2019s social justice agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also honored were\u00a0Noa Ben-Asher, J.S.D.<\/a>, Professor, St. John\u2019s School of Law;\u00a0 Kevin Reed \u201975SJC, retired Managing Director of Citigroup Asset Management and member, St. John\u2019s University\u00a0Board of Trustees<\/a>; Ermira Uldedaj, Training Programs and Initiatives Adviser,\u00a0New York City Mayor\u2019s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence<\/a>; and Amber Wilson, Director, St. John\u2019s\u00a0First-Year Mentoring<\/a>\u00a0programs.<\/p>\n The evening featured a performance by members of the St. John\u2019s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which Dr. King joined while a student at Morehouse College from 1944 to 1948.<\/p>\n \u201cYou feel a sense of responsibility to Dr. King\u2019s legacy as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha,\u201d Treasurer Brendan Brown, a junior, said. \u201cWe have learned from him that you never know how strong your voice is. Even the quietest of us has something powerful to say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Featured speakers included sports and political strategist\u00a0Alexys Feaster<\/a>, producer of\u00a0Hoops, Hopes, & Dreams, a short film by the King family exploring how Dr. King used basketball to unite communities; and\u00a0Jeffrion L. Aubry<\/a>, Executive Director of the\u00a0Next Gen Basketball Players Union<\/a>, the bargaining representative of all National Basketball Association (NBA)\u00a0G League<\/a>\u00a0players.<\/p>\n The longtime friends engaged in a panel discussion that touched on the enduring legacy of Dr. King and the values he championed\u2014belonging, justice, and service\u2014while recognizing the role athletes play in creating social impact.<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout my life and career, the only thing I have used as a true North Star is service,\u201d Ms. Feaster said. \u201cBeing on this campus today, I know that it is the North Star for so many people here. That is how you make an impact in other peoples\u2019 lives.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. King recognized four components that should be the blueprint of your life,\u201d Mr. Aubrey added. \u201cFirst, understand your personal value. Second, there must be a desire for education. Third, you must be driven toward excellence. And fourth, there must be a commitment to love and justice, and that is the most important one because it gives direction to everything you do in your life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Mr. Aubrey and Ms. Feaster have both watched some NBA players grow from unassuming but gifted athletes into mature spokespeople for social justice.<\/p>\n However, Ms. Feaster said such activism comes with a cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of athletes have said things like, \u2018we have to wait for\u00a0LeBron James<\/a> to go first; if he does not touch it, we will not,\u2019\u201d Ms. Feaster said. \u201cI understand the mentality of a younger athlete\u2014 they have a lot more to lose than LeBron or\u00a0Stephen Curry<\/a>. It can impact their ability to be marketable.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n The theme of the evening\u2014Reimagining the Dream in a Global Society\u2014called on attendees to remain true to Dr. King\u2019s ideals even as technological advances and political differences sharpen divides between people.\u00a0Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.<\/a>, University President, noted that Dr. King\u2019s vision was rooted in a timeless philosophy, articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas and quoted by Dr. King in his 1963\u00a0letter<\/a> from a Birmingham, AL, jail.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAn unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law, God\u2019s law, or natural law,\u201d Fr. Shanley explained. \u201cHaving the clarity, courage, and conscience to stand up for what is right is one of the most important legacies Dr. King has left us.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Mr. Reed\u2014presented with the\u00a0John Lewis<\/a> Bridge Builder Award, named for the late Georgia congressman and civil rights activist\u2014said Dr. King\u2019s ideals are consistent with the University\u2019s\u00a0Vincentian heritage<\/a> and will remain so. \u201cIt is within that framework that St. John\u2019s is strong,\u201d Mr. Reed said. \u201cWe have the advantage of benefiting from students of many faiths, cultures, languages, and life experiences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The other professional honorees included<\/p>\n Dr. Ben-Asher\u2014The\u00a0Audre Lorde<\/a> Faculty Award, named for the activist writer and teacher of the 1970s to 1990s. \u201cIt is an honor to inspire students to think about justice in the world,\u201d Dr. Asher said.Ms. Uldedaj\u2014The John Baker Justice Through Service Award, named for the community leader who was active in the 1970s and 80s.Ms. Wilson\u2014The\u00a0Septima Clark<\/a> Education for Empowerment Award, named for the voting rights leader of the 1950s and 1960s.<\/p>\n Student honorees Marcus and Syeda shared the\u00a0Malcolm X<\/a> Award for Courageous Advocacy. Valent and Nikolai shared the\u00a0Bayard Rustin<\/a> Civil Rights Movement Award, named for a key strategist of the\u00a0civil rights era<\/a> who was active in the 1950s and 1960s.<\/p>\n \u201cThis shows that student voices are valuable and recognized at St. John\u2019s,\u201d Valent said. \u201cNo matter how small you think your voice is, it can make a difference.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"February 3, 2026 St. John\u2019s University celebrated the legacy of civil rights icon\u00a0Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-122751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}