In recognition of both the extraordinary accomplishments of the U.S. civil rights movement and the serious work yet to be done, the university celebrated the life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 18, 2016.
Before the crowd convened at the Joyce Center, a panel comprised of faculty, students and alumni probed the questions that confront Notre Dame as it strives to fully realize its vision of diversity and inclusion. CCHR Acting Director Jennifer Mason McAward was among the panelists. She proposed hiring more diverse faculty members and faculty that care about civil and human rights. Doing so “will set a tone that Notre Dame cares about these things” and “will educate our students’ minds and hearts in a way that we have promised to do.”
The Center for Civil and Human Rights was founded, in 1973, by Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. as an outgrowth of his work on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. McAward, a law professor specializing in civil rights, has been Acting Director of CCHR since April 2015. Throughout 2016, the CCHR is sponsoring an initiative on voting rights.