Free Program Jan. 23 at KSU-Geauga Honoring MLK
Kent State University – Geauga is inviting the public to attend a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on the country’s communities and cultures.
Kent State University – Geauga is inviting the public to attend a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on the country’s communities and cultures.
The campus will offer a presentation from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 23 called, “I’m Better Than That – A Tribute to Eric Russell,” which will be live-streamed from the KSU Twinsburg Academic Center.
The featured speaker is Julie Wynne-Martin, Russell’s mother.
The book by the same title tells the story of Russell, a Brush High School student who died from meningitis during his senior year. He participated in the Cleveland Urban Journalism Workshop from 2001 until he died in December 2002.
When his high school yearbook labeled him “Blacky,” Russell had a choice: Run away, retaliate or stand tall and become a leader, according to KSU’s press release.
“I decided that I had to work to my full potential and try to accomplish all that I could in life so that people would always be able to see … the kind of person that I truly am … I would face the racism and try to correct it,” Russell said, as quoted in the book.
Sponsored by the “Cleveland Plain Dealer,” the journalism workshop was facilitated by Margaret Bernstein when Russell was in the program and for several years after he passed away.
Bernstein started a memorial scholarship in Russell’s memory for workshop students who would major in journalism while in college, awarding a total of 12 scholarships in all.
