Aminata Cairo Awarded University Humanitarian Award
Last week Aminata Cairo (Department of Anthropology), was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. University Humanitarian Award. The award is given to recognize individuals who demonstrate the humanitarian qualities and philosophy of nonviolent social change such as those demonstrated by Martin Luther King Jr.
“It came as a surprise since I didn’t know I had been nominated,” Cairo shared.
Cairo has been incredibly active in various social outreach efforts including: River City Drum Corps, the Main Street Community Center, CHIPS Health and Wellness Center, and the Institue for Urban Research. Cairo also co-founded the Suriname field school program with Kathryn Bentley, and has been very active in trying to get her students involved in community outreach efforts.
“I enjoy working at the university and being able to use my academic skills to make an impact,” Cairo shared, “Sometimes there’s a big divide between universities and their local communities and I think we can do better, I love taking students along to bridge that gap.”
Cairo encourages students looking to get involved in outreach programs to get in touch with the Kimmel Leadership Center and to reach out to their professors about potential projects.
Filed Under: Anthropology
