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Page last updated on November 15, 2023 at 8:21 am

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award recognizes and affirms those who have made significant and tangible contributions in the areas of race relations, justice, and human rights. The award is presented annually at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration to the Monroe County resident, business, or advocacy group selected by the City of Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission.

2023 Winner: Nancy Cross-Harris

For her lifelong commitment to justice, passion for serving others, and deep community involvement, Nancy Cross-Harris has been given the City’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for 2023. Selected by the City of Bloomington's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission, Cross-Harris accepted the award from Deputy Mayor Mary Catherine Carmichael at Monday night’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration at the Buskirk Chumley Theater. The award recognizes and affirms those who have made significant contributions in the areas of race relations, justice, and human rights and is presented annually in January.

Cross-Harris exemplifies the characteristics of an individual who is committed to race relations, justice, and human rights causes. She has a passion for the history of Bloomington and Black history at Indiana University. She shares her wealth of knowledge on the history of Bloomington, Black IU, and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, as well as the stories of her experiences and the rich histories of the community that she serves. She uses her passion and care for the history of the Neal-Marshall and the Black community in Bloomington to inspire the work that she engages in. She keeps those who she works with connected to the foundation that the legacy of Black folks inspired within the Black campus and wider community in Bloomington. She isn’t afraid to connect students, campus partners, and community members to the social resources that she possesses from being a longstanding Bloomington community resident.

In the Bloomington community you can find her at Bethel AME Church doing what she loves: being in service. She has been instrumental in several aspects of the church's ministries and facilities' upkeep. She co-teaches Sunday school and she serves as a steward; both of these roles have led to her responding to the spiritual needs of church patrons through prayer and education. She also gives much time and energy to making sure the church facilities are visibly presentable when church members and guests enter. Any given day, she may be the first one to arrive and the last to leave. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was also very involved in the church's Food Distribution Ministry. She shopped for groceries, prepared food boxes, and distributed them to families in need. Most recently, Mrs. Nancy was very instrumental in securing the naming of Bethel AME, Bloomington’s oldest predominantly black congregation church, as an historic site in the city of Bloomington.

See all past award recipients

Criteria

  1. The nominee has been personally or corporately involved in making tangible, visible, and meaningful contributions to the advancement of race relations, justice, and/or human rights causes.
  2. The nominee must have been a Monroe County resident, business, or advocacy group for at least one year.

Nomination Process

  1. Anyone can make a nomination.
  2. The Deadline for submitting nominations is December 4, 2023.
  3. Nominations may be made online only. Nominate Here!

Selection Process

  1. The Award Committee reviews all nominations and recommends finalists for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission to consider. The Commission makes the final selection. Any member of either the Award Committee or Commission who is nominated for the award must excuse themselves from discussions and voting during the selection process. Likewise, any immediate family members must also excuse themselves from the decision-making process.
  2. The Award Committee shall notify the winner in January and invite the winner to attend the Birthday Celebration.
  3. The Mayor of the City of Bloomington or the Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission will present the award at the Birthday Celebration.