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Members of the Salem State community and Salem Public Schools students were honored at the university’s 33rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. convocation on January 23. Five individuals received Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leadership awards for their contributions to freedom, justice and equality; and five students across Salem State and Salem Public Schools were winners of the racial justice writing contest. The honorees were recognized at the ceremony prior to the event’s keynote address by activist, educator and author Dr. Mary Frances Berry.

MLK Leadership Awards 

SSU’s MLK, Jr. Celebration and Black History Month Collaborative presented the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award to Michael Corley (undergraduate), Emmanuel Quiroz Martinez (graduate), Associate Dean of Students for Wellness Elisa Castillo, PhD; Social Work Professor Elspeth Slayter, PhD; and alumna Hope Watt-Bucci '96G, PhD. Their names will be inscribed on a plaque with those of previous years’ recipients, which is displayed in the Ellison Campus Center. 

Corley, of Salem, is majoring in media and communication with a concentration in journalism and a double minor in English and history. His nomination for the award cites Corley’s leadership in an effort to establish a land and labor acknowledgement for Salem State, noting that he “embodies what Salem State represents and is the most determined to help others and see the most positive outcomes when they apply themselves.” Corley graduates this spring.

Quiroz Martinez, of Houston, Texas, will graduate this spring with a Master of Education – Higher Education in Student Affairs. He manages the Educator Scholars of Color (ESOC) program in the McKeown School of Education, which helps the university recruit and retain students of color. The nomination noted that “His impact on the program, and most importantly, the students in our program, has been huge.”

Castillo, of Salem, is associate dean of students for wellness and was chosen as the administrator/staff award recipient. Her nomination highlights Castillo’s leadership in Salem State’s emergence as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and her success expanding the holistic approach taken by counseling and health services. The nomination reads, "Elisa has been a steadfast advocate for students and social justice throughout her career at Salem State.”

Slayter, of Provincetown, is the faculty award recipient and serves on the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, a regional, campus-based effort to address systemic racism and to advance racial educational equity. Slayter founded #SWEduActs, a national organization of social work educators devoted to promoting anti-racist teaching. Within Salem State’s social work department, she spearheaded a strengths-based data analysis approach devoted to engaging in data-driven anti-racism work. Slayter also coordinates Salem State’s partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families on equity-minded practice for mid-career managers, which focuses heavily on racial justice and disability justice.

Watt-Bucci '96G, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, was named the alumni award recipient. Watt-Bucci is the founder and president of North Shore Pride and is dedicated to advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community. Under her leadership, North Shore Pride holds events throughout the year that raise awareness, fundraise and support partner organizations. Some of these events include the North Shore Pride Parade and Vendor Festival, drag shows, community panels, interfaith services, and more.

Racial Justice Writing Contest

Salem Public Schools Winners

Co-sponsored by the Salem Human Rights Coalition, students in Salem Public Schools were asked to write essays honoring the 60th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Mary Asong, Grade 5, of Witchcraft Heights Elementary School

Honorable mention: Savannah Champa, Grade 5, Witchcraft Heights Elementary School

Yaniel Pache, Grade 8, New Liberty Innovation School

Honorable mention: Yanil Ortega, Grade 8, New Liberty Innovation School

Tyrek Jones, Grade 9, Salem High School

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Sponsored by the English department, ����ֱ�� students were asked to submit works that reflect on the persistence of racial injustice and/or that consider or express current efforts, as stated by James Baldwin, “to end the racial nightmare, and achieve our country, and change the history of the world,” and to echo the call of poet and activist Audre Lorde by being “a bleak heroism of words that refuse to be buried alive with the liars."

Vasiliki Tzortzis, of Peabody, graduate student studying Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Alex Cepeda, of Monson, undergraduate student majoring in English