Kevin Brooks, NDSU professor of English, has been selected to receive the Fargo Human Relations Award for outstanding public service. He will be recognized at the Fargo Human Relations Commission's annual celebration honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., scheduled for Monday, Jan. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the Fargo Theatre.
The commission will honor Brooks as "an advocate for human rights, dignity and people from many different backgrounds," noting his many contributions to organizations such as Giving+Learning, African Soul American Heart and the New American Consortium for Wellness and Empowerment.
"It means a lot to feel my work in the community is being recognized, especially knowing many of the past winners and all the work they have done," said Brooks, who joined the NDSU faculty in 1997.
Brooks said his commitment to public service was inspired, in part, by a 2007 visit to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. "At that time, there were about 60,000 people hanging on by a thread in an extremely remote location," he said. "To know that's a main source of refugees that come to Fargo, I've just seen too much to pretend I shouldn't be doing everything I can to help make this a more welcoming community for people who come from those situations."
Another moment that spurred him to action was an event hosted by Lutheran Immigration and Relief Services. One of the speakers said public service should be based on a volunteer's personal liberation. "That motivates me to keep thinking about things I can do that are also fulfilling to me, that free me from some of the systems I get caught up in," Brooks explained. "Remembering to stop and work for others in the community is a really important part of what keeps me going."
In addition, Brooks received a two-year Bush Foundation Fellowship that provides funding to improve and expand English language learning opportunities for immigrants and new Americans in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Other Fargo Human Relations Award honorees include the Emergency Food Pantry in the organization category and student Fatma Abdulahl will be recognized for her work within the Somali community.
As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.