2020 MLK Humanitarian Award Honoree Leads by Example

Lebanon, IL (01/29/2020) — In recognition of her deep commitment to social justice, activism and quiet leadership, McKendree University honored Dr. Melissa Barfield as the faculty recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award for 2020. Presented annually, the award celebrates the spirit and legacy of the Reverend Dr. King. Recipients demonstrate care and compassion, understanding and tolerance, humanitarian principles and ideals, and participation in service programs.

The associate professor of sociology has taught at McKendree since 2006. Her teaching interests are in rural sociology, poverty and social welfare. She is a mentor and a passionate advocate for students regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. Barfield serves on the university's Social Justice Committee and assists in Safe Zone training to promote an inclusive campus environment. In the community, she chairs a regional CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) board dealing with foster care. She received a bachelor's degree from Northeast Missouri State University and earned master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Mississippi State University.

The Humanitarian Awards were presented on Jan. 24 at an MLK celebration service at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on campus. The 2020 student MLK Award honoree was Brianca Spells, a senior accounting major from Chicago. Dr. Ernest Gibson III, associate professor of English and co-director of Africana Studies at Auburn University, gave the event's keynote speech, "Intimate Witness: James Baldwin and the Re-Visioning of Salvation."

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