“I had received promotion material about the program before, but this email caught my attention because it mentioned the civil rights immersion experience,” said ±Ę±đñ˛ą, a communication major from Louisville who was selected as an in 2015.

“The more I learned about the program, the more I wanted to be part of it. I remember every moment of anticipation as I opened the letter,” said. “I also felt a sense of relief because my search for schools and financial aid was finally over.”

One of the university’s most prized scholarships, the award goes to just 10 incoming freshmen each fall semester. It includes full in-state tuition, an $8,000 per year stipend for education-related expenses and opportunities for civic engagement, community service and travel. The scholars also take part in classes and special events focused on social justice and peace. The first MLK Scholar cohort started in fall 2013.

To qualify, applicants must be African American or Latino, residents of Kentucky or southern Indiana, write a compelling essay, have a high school GPA of at least 3.5 and an ACT score of 26 or better.

, an MLK Scholar founder who performs many roles in the University Honors Program and works closely with students who earn prestigious awards, said the decision to name the MLK Scholar program after the well-known civil rights leader was an easy one.

“During the development of this social justice, civic engagement and service-based mentored scholarship, we believed Dr. King’s legacy embodied the essence of what we envisioned this program to be,” Buckman said.

He also said that university-wide collaboration is one of the most critical and unique components of the program.

“While housed in the University Honors Program, the MLK Scholars Program could not thrive the way it does without support from the Cultural Center, admissions, the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, the Peace, Justice and Conflict Transformation Program and numerous others,” he said.

John Rhodes, a senior public health major from Lexington and MLK Scholar, credits the program with helping him develop skills in analytical thinking, leadership and service to others.

“As a freshman, I didn’t know where I could go to find comfort or peace, but I found that within the MLK program,” Rhodes said. “I have engaged myself in a number of activities from a nutrition navigator, to a student orientation staffer, to the director of human prosperity, and the MLK program is what encouraged me to venture out into opportunities that were outside of my comfort zone.”

, who heads the curricular programming, advising and recruiting for MLK Scholars, said the main difference between the MLK Scholars and other UofL mentored scholarships is a focus on using Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and the civil rights movement as primary points of study.

“Our second-year scholars travel to the cradle of the civil rights movements – Selma, Birmingham, Montgomery and Memphis – to explore these historical areas firsthand,” Russell said. “This is so they can gain new insight from this era and how to apply this insight to their academic and professional endeavors.”

For Noela Botaka, such insight dramatically changed her understanding of history, racism and how to relate to others.

“I have been exposed to issues that I couldn’t comprehend prior to college or never knew existed,” Botaka said. “I am a lot more conscientious of narratives being told and often try to look deeper at the underlying contexts. It has made me more aware of my own biases too. The scholars program has definitely helped in shaping who I am today and who I want to be tomorrow.”

Botaka and her twin sister, Manuela Botaka, are both 2015 MLK Scholars. They were born in Kinshasa, Congo, and grew up in Lexington. 

Noela said one of the most important things she learned as an MLK Scholar was that there are different ways to lead.

“I used to be scared of taking leadership opportunities because I was convinced that you had to be at the forefront or have some dominant personality,” she said. “After the MLK civil rights immersion trip, I learned about those who were at the back end of the movement and contributed a lot to social change.”

Like Noela, Rhodes believes the program was an important catalyst for his own growth and transformation.

“I undoubtedly owe a huge amount of gratitude to the MLK program because, without it, I wouldn’t have been exposed to the many opportunities that have helped me become the great leader I am today.”

Director Johnny Jones, who serves as head of the African American Theatre Program, leads audiences to “the promised land” by honoring a moment in history that forever changed the nation — the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

UofL graduate students LaShondra Hood and Xavier Harris lead the production, which is the Department’s first of the season. Hood, a third-year MFA Performance candidate, will perform her thesis role of Camae alongside Harris, a second-year MFA candidate who plays Dr. King.

“The Mountaintop” reimagines the night before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. During the night, King receives a visit from Camae, a motel maid, as he wrestles with the idea of leaving earth before seeing his dream of freedom and equality for all people come to fruition. King wonders who will pick up the baton once he passes on. He soon realizes that the legacy that he leaves behind is more significant than he could ever imagine.

The theme for the Theatre Arts Department’s mainstage season is “Stories from the Past, Lessons for the Future.” Per the 50^th-year anniversary of King’s assassination, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and the Protests of 1968, “The Mountaintop” is a fitting production for an ideal time to ask ourselves, “Where do we go from here?”

“Dr. King said anybody can be great because anybody can serve,”  said Professor Johnny Jones. “There are still people in this world who are serving and doing just that for the sake of others. This play speaks to that particular opportunity of us being able to help each other, being able to uplift each other, and to be able to give each other testimony and to share our joys, our pains, and our sorrows with one another as we overcome.”

“The Mountaintop” opens Sept. 20 and runs through Sept. 30. Ticket prices are $20 General Admission; $15 for Faculty/Staff/Seniors (65+)/non-UofL Students (with Student ID) and $10 for Current UofL Students (with Student ID). Tickets may be purchased  or by contacting the box office at 502-852-6814. 

Many of the programs were organized by the Cultural Center and take aim at educating the community about King’s ideals of social justice, nonviolence, education and service.

Key programs during are:

• Jan. 13 – Louisville Downtown Civil Rights Trail, a bus tour of sites important during the struggle. The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. tour departs from the Cultural Center. Seats are limited and is required.
• Jan. 16 – , one of UofL’s largest community service events of the year. The program kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at the SAC. At 11:15 a.m. participants will board buses to visit one of nine local nonprofit organizations. Typical duties include painting, cleaning, winterizing homes and working with youth.
• Jan. 16 – Under the theme of “revolutionary multiracial dialogue,” a program featuring music, dance and speakers by the African American Theatre Program will run from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at The Playhouse, 1911 S. Third St.
• Jan. 18 – Women in the Movement Discussion, a talk by Kaila Story, an associate professor of women’s and gender studies. Story’s noon to 1:30 p.m. discussion at the Cultural Center is about women’s roles in the civil rights movement.  
• Jan. 19 – “Children of the Civil Rights,” a about a group of Oklahoma children and their six-year struggle against oppression prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Discussion follows. Film begins at 6 p.m., Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.
• Jan. 20 – Lunch and MLK Dream Wall signing, noon to 2 p.m., Cultural Center. People can share messages of unity, love, inspiration and equality as MLK Week concludes.