Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Celebration

Join the Intercultural Center each February as we honor the ideals and teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King by recognizing students who carry his legacy forward through both their scholastic achievements and commitment to servant leadership. Each year, generated proceeds from luncheon ticket sales support the Intercultural Center in having awarded UNF students more than $140,000 in scholarships to date. Evoking the dynamic oration skills of Dr. King, nationally acclaimed speakers take to the podium each year to deliver memorable keynote addresses. Past speakers include Ossie Davis, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Blair Underwood, Guy Jasmine, Hill Harper and Dominique Dawes.

The 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Scholarship Celebration Luncheon will be held at noon on Wednesday, February 8, in the UNF Adam W. Herbert University Center. The keynote speaker is Cheryl Brown Henderson, Brown v. Board of Education Originator and Civil Rights activists.

Ms. Brown Henderson is one of the three daughters of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown who in the fall of 1950 along with 12 other parents in Topeka, Kansas, led by attorneys for the NAACP, filed suit on behalf of their children against the local Board of Education. On May 17, 1954, their case joined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court became known as the landmark decision: Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This case was legally named for Oliver Brown, i.e., Oliver L. Brown et. al. vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, KS. et. al. Brown died in 1961 before knowing the impact this case would have on the nation.

Ms. Brown Henderson is the Founding President of The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research, and owner of Brown & Associates, an educational consulting firm. She has an extensive background in education, business and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state and national boards. In addition, she has two decades of experience in political advocacy, public policy implementation and federal legislative development. In 1988 she founded the Brown Foundation. Since its establishment, the Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 100 minority students, presented awards to local, state and national leaders, established libraries for children in low-income communities, developed curriculum on Brown for educators across the country, created traveling exhibits on and a website on Brown, and sponsored programs on diversity and educational issues for thousands of people. In 1990, under her leadership the Foundation successfully worked with the U.S. Congress to establish the Brown v. Board of Education National Park in Topeka, which opened in May of 2004. In 2001 under her leadership the Foundation successfully worked with the U.S. Congress to establish the Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary Presidential Commission, which served to provide a federal presence in the 2004 anniversary of the Brown decision. 

Past Speakers