Xavery Hopkins
Hopkins is the senior director of access, opportunity and community engagement at the USC Darla Moore School of Business where she works with high school students and provides access to higher education in underrepresented areas.
The University of South Carolina honors the life of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
In January 1983, the USC Black Alumni Caucus sponsored the first university program. The group continued to sponsor the event, held in Rutledge Chapel, until 1986. In 1986, the program was expanded and moved to the Russell House Ballroom featuring King’s daughter, Yolanda King, as keynote speaker. In 1999, then-President John M. Palms canceled classes and declared the day a university-wide day of service, and that tradition continues today.
MLK Commemorative Breakfast
Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, 7:30 - 9 a.m.
Location: Russell House Ballroom, 1400 Greene St, Columbia, SC 29208
Admission: Free and open to the public
Join us for an inspiring morning of reflection and celebration at the annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast. This special event honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with music, an empowering keynote address, and the presentation of the university's MLK Social Justice Awards, recognizing those who have made a lasting impact on our community. While the event is free and open to all, advance registration is required to secure your spot.
Space is limited. Please register by January 7th.
Free parking will be available in the Bull Street Garage. Enter at gate 3 (visitor
entrance).
Questions may be directed to the Office of Access and Opportunity at access@mailbox.sc.edu or 803-576-7666.
Register Below
Previous Social Justice Award Winners
Shalaia Myers
Myers, a senior African American Studies and psychology student, is a mental health advocate while also volunteering at USC's CommUnity shop. She's also the co-founder of Book Fair Fund, a member of the Zeta Theta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, Sorority Inc. and founded the university’s First-Generation Student Advisory Board.
Lila Anna Sauls
The CEO of Homeless No More, Sauls' organization provides emergency services, crisis support and temporary housing for Columbians. Homeless No More also works to build affordable housing and works with other organizations to help families in transition.
Kim Tena
A third-year doctoral student in psychology at USC, Tena works to bridge gaps with students with disability by designing systems designed to support them.
Betty Wilson
An assistant professor of social work at USC, Wilson's research examins how police interaction affect mental healt hand what kinds of culturally responsive interventions might be employed to find common ground, foster healing and reduce disparities in people’s encounters with police.
Althea Counts
Counts, who serves as the Director of USC's TRIO programs, helps low-income and first-generation students realize their potential and navigate the complexities of higher education.
Devin Randolph
Randolph, a faculty member in the College of Education, serves as a leader working with USC's Anne Frank Center. His research centers around fostering alliances between historically Black colleges and universities and Jewish Communities.
Christina Plakas
Christina Plakas, a fourth-year doctoral student in criminology and criminal justice, developed a community outreach program that advocates for current and formerly incarcerated individuals by providing them with career-readiness resources.
Norah Dixon
Dixon, a fourth-year mass communication student, is deeply ingrained in the USC community. She worked with undergraduate admissions to create the Scholar Recruitment Student Advisory Committee, which seeks to enhance inclusivity in the recruitment process for the university’s elite programs.
Shelley Dempsey
Dempsey, the university’s first assistant provost for graduation and retention, helping support students succeed at USC and volunteering her time in the community.
Doyle Stevick
Stevick, executive director of the university’s Anne Frank Center and a professor in the College of Education, is dedicated to fostering understanding and compassion among students, faculty and the broader community.
Julia Upton
Upton, an early childhood education senior, looking for a way to practice her classroom management skills when she volunteered to work in the after-school program at Homeless No More — a nonprofit organization that works to keep families together while helping them find permanent housing.
Eliza Braden, Meir Muller, and Kamania Wynter-Hoyte
Braden, Muller and Wynter-Hoyte, associate professors of education, are honored for their collective work in founding and leading the Urban Education Cohort; the Local School Collective; Race, Equity and Advocacy in Childhood Education (REACH); and a variety of social-justice focused events.
Kendall Deas
Deas, postdoctoral fellow, co-founded and now leads the Quality Education Project, a community-based, nonprofit research organization committed to public education advocacy. He is a voice in local, state and national media outlets advocating for greater investment in public education.
Courtney McLain
McLain, journalism major, work on social justice began in her hometown and it's evolved from there.
Susi Long
Long, professor of Education, began her work on racial equity while listening to the experiences and wisdom of nurturing colleagues, students and friends. She has developed courses for undergraduates and Ph.D. students that focus on how to better teach African and African American history, emphasizing precolonial contributions of Africans to the world’s knowledge
Aparna Polavarapu
Polavarapu, School of Law professor, work centers around “restorative justice,” which seeks to make victims whole while holding perpetrators to account. Polavarapu’s other social justice activities include participating in USC’s Collaborative on Race as an Equity Table facilitator, guest-lecturing in education and public health classes on restorative practice and teaching a seminar on restorative justice in the law school.
Nicole Cooke
Cooke is the Augusta Baker endowed chair in the School of Information Science. In a field where more than 85 percent of the professionals are white women, Cooke stands out. And that observation inspired her desire to help diversify the field of librarians to make the profession more equitable and better reflective of the communities librarians serve. Cooke is a leader on campus through her research and classes focusing on diversity and social justice, with a goal to develop a cadre of people who can go out and do social justice work and bring others along on the journey.
Toby S. Jenkins
Jenkins, associate professor and director of the Museum of Education, grew up in Columbia and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina, before leaving her hometown for universities and experiences all around the globe. At every stop, she was an advocate for diversity in higher education, for forging inclusive communities and for making sure college students find a welcoming home on campuses. She is considered a national expert on cultural inclusion and the student experience in higher education, focusing particularly on the innovation and transformation of university cultural centers.
Jay Urich
Urich, Gamecock football student-athlete, carried a sign proclaiming "'Matter' is the Minimum" at the Black Lives Matter protests in Columbia in the summer of 2020. It was a moment that united people across the state, including the rival football teams of South Carolina and Clemson. And it’s a moment Urich has built on since then, including starting a nonprofit, Original Design, which aims to provide resources, opportunities and supportive relationships to help underserved children around the state. The organization plans to offer camps for 10- to 12-year-olds that focus on faith, public health and sports, with the goal to help children live healthy, honorable lives.
Faculty Winner - Daniella Cook, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
College of Education
Faculty Winner - Spencer Platt, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
College of Education
Staff Winner - Aisha Haynes
Assistant Director
Center for Teaching Excellence
Student Winner - Kyanna Samuel
Undergraduate student
majoring in early childhood education
Faculty Winner - Dr. Rajeev Bais
Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
School of Medicine
Director, Carolina Survivor Clinic
Staff Winner - Maureen Grewe
Director of Student Conduct
Department of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity
Student Winner - Chelsea Jimenez
Undergraduate student
Senior majoring in early childhood education
Student Winner - Lyric Swinton
Undergraduate student
Junior majoring in sport and entertainment management
Faculty Winner - Kenneth Campbell, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate professor
School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Faculty Winner - Michele Myers, M.S., Ed.S., Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor
College of Education
Staff Winner - Sarah Keeling, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Student Services Manager
School of Library and Information Science
Student Winner - Dizha Green
Undergraduate student
Senior majoring in early childhood education