Special to the Independent
Photo by Jim Tate
Southwest Minnesota State University Professor of History Dr. Jeff Kolnick is the first recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award.
MARSHALL Southwest Minnesota State University Professor of History Dr. Jeff Kolnick, a tireless advocate of inclusion, equity and underrepresented populations, is the first recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award.
The award is presented by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. He will be honored during the virtual MLK Day program on Monday.
Kolnick has been teaching at SMSU since 1992 and is known internationally for his work with the Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy. It is named for Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, a Mississippi civil rights leader who was instrumental in forming the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in the 1964. Its mission is to promote positive social change, and its vision is to nurture young people who believe in the A