{"id":100070,"date":"2025-02-03T16:16:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=100070"},"modified":"2025-02-03T16:16:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:16:17","slug":"uri-students-faculty-member-honored-for-peace-work-at-mlk-unity-luncheon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/uri-students-faculty-member-honored-for-peace-work-at-mlk-unity-luncheon\/","title":{"rendered":"URI students, faculty member honored for peace work at MLK Unity Luncheon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 3, 2025 \u2013 The University of Rhode Island recently honored two students and a faculty member for their significant peace work contributions to the URI community. The annual awards are presented by the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies and the URI Chaplains Association honoring students and staff for promoting peace and nonviolence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zahra Khan, a senior double majoring in psychology and political science, was awarded the Human Rights Award by the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies during ceremonies at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Luncheon on Jan. 29 at the Multicultural Student Services Center. Khan was honored for her contributions to women\u2019s social rights, refugee rights and the CIRIGHTS project, a URI-based report that monitors human rights around the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cZahra has consistently shown an unwavering passion for and commitment to human rights, both personally and professionally. In every aspect of her life, she advocates for and upholds the values of peace and human rights,\u201d said Thupten Tendhar, staff member at the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n

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URI sophomore Skyla Anderson, center, is awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award by Amy Olson, executive director of Hillel and chair of the URI Chaplains Association, and Thupten Tendhar, staff member from the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Since joining the CIRIGHTS project in May 2023, Khan has made it her mission to expand and create new innovative ways to contribute to human rights initiatives at URI. Khan frequently raises awareness about critical issues such as refugee rights, human trafficking, and women\u2019s social rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophomore Skyla Anderson and faculty member Deidre Morrison were the recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award, which was awarded by the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies and the URI Chaplains Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anderson, a sophomore majoring in public relations, is passionate about social justice, inclusivity, and building a community in which all members feel supported. Anderson is the president of the Cape Verdean Student Association at URI, making it her mission to inspire others to embody the values of peace and respect in their daily lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked to describe Anderson, her friend Jordan Laroche said, \u201c[she\u2019s] a beacon of peace at the University of Rhode Island,\u201d referring to her role in fostering unity and understanding within the campus community. <\/p>\n\n\n

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URI communications professor Deidre Morrison, center, is presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award by Amy Olson, executive director of Hillel and chair of the URI Chaplains Association, and Thupten Tendhar, staff member from the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s tradition that every year for the URI Chaplains Association gives out the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award to an individual student, staff member, faculty member or a student group at URI who shows the values, dreams, and aspirations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morrison serves as an adjunct professor of communication studies in the Harrington School of Communication and Media, a consultant at the speaking center, and a meditation facilitator for URiMindful. Morrison, a graduate of URI\u2019s MBA program, is also a certified level 1 trainer in Kingian nonviolence and conflict reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an educator, Morrison creates a dynamic environment for her students where they develop a meaningful connection to academics and their roles as peaceful and responsible change ambassadors. Her communication studies lectures incorporate engaging activities and case studies related to social justice, environmental sustainability, and peacebuilding. Morrison\u2019s mission is to foster positive change at URI and beyond, inspiring students to communicate effectively, peacefully, ethically, and compassionately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan Weiner, a junior sports media major and public relations minor at the University of Rhode Island and an intern in the Department of Communications and Marketing, wrote this press release.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Feb. 3, 2025 \u2013 The University of Rhode Island recently honored two students and a faculty member for their significant peace work contributions to the URI community. The annual awards are presented by the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies and the URI Chaplains Association honoring students and staff for promoting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":100071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100070"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100077,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100070\/revisions\/100077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}