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Scruggs receives MLK Leadership Award
March 10, 2005 | ||||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.—Indiana University Kokomo presented its 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King Exemplary Leadership Award to Artie Scruggs at the campus' annual luncheon honoring Dr. King's legacy. President of the Howard-Tipton County Central Labor Council and council representative for all area AFL-CIO-affiliated unions, Scruggs has been a strong supporter of the annual King celebration, said coordinator Catherine Barnes. “At every Martin Luther King Luncheon, I know [Scruggs] is going to be there and bring others with him,” Barnes said. “This year, he helped sponsor the attendance of some 35 IU Kokomo freshmen, exposing them to ideas and music that these students said took them 'out of the box' of their previous experiences with African American culture.” Scruggs has served on the executive board of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and worked with local participants in the Indiana Black Expo. Bringing together people of different races and seeing possibilities for cooperation springs not just from his labor union work, Scruggs said. In rough financial times during Scruggs' childhood in South Carolina, an NAACP chapter made it possible for his family to purchase their first permanent home. “I don't see colors,” Scruggs said. “We're all here on earth to work together. Stepping up to the goals that Dr. Martin Luther King challenged our country to meet—it's not a black or white thing.” Julie Diesman has served with Scruggs on several community-based boards, including their current joint efforts for the Bona Vista Community Partnership Team. The director of IU Kokomo's Office of Career Services, Diesman said she feels privileged to count Scruggs among her professional colleagues. “From conversations with him, I know Artie to be a caring individual who has what's best for the people of Kokomo very close to his heart,” Diesman said. “He has always made productive contributions to our meetings and brings a wealth of knowledge of our community's history to any event he attends.” Diesman was also honored during the luncheon, receiving the Donald Lane Service Award. The award recognizes faculty and staff members whose campus contributions further the vision of Lane, a former director of Continuing Studies. Before his death in 1999, Lane established the intercollegiate Enhancing Minority Attainment conference. Educators attending the annual conference at IU Kokomo learn about minority rights and issues of inclusion. Diesman works tirelessly with students, Barnes said, helping them access internships and prepare for post-graduate job interviews and employment. “In resume workshops, career fairs, and one-on-one counseling, Julie gets students to recognize their strengths and abilities, regardless of their race or their social background,” Barnes said. The Office of Campus Climate and Umoja, a student multicultural organization, sponsored the Dr. Martin Luther King luncheon. Umoja member Sean Temoney presented the lunch invocation, and Dara Johnson, also of Umoja, served as mistress of ceremonies. Per tradition, Donald Andrews, as president of the IU Kokomo Student Body, spoke on King's inspiration for today's Americans. Temoney, Johnson, and Andrews are all from Kokomo.
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