Syracuse University

The following are the 2001 recipients of Unsung Heroes and
Heroines Awards, to be presented during the 16th Annual Martin Luther King Jr.
Celebration at Syracuse University's Carrier Dome Jan. 20. The awards are
presented to people from SU and the greater Syracuse community who exemplify the
spirit, life and teachings of King but who are not widely recognized for their
efforts. The presentations will be made during the program, which begins at 6:30
p.m.

When she retired from her job with the Syracuse Housing
Authority six years ago, Syracuse native Inez Mack looked forward to a life of
leisure.

"I told myself that I would sit down and just do nothing
for awhile," she says. Her leisurely lifestyle didn't last long. The Rev.
Larry S. Howard of Hopps Memorial C.M.E. church asked Mack if she could spare a
couple of hours a week to do paperwork for the church's Outreach Program,
which has provided meals, food baskets and clothing to those in need since 1979.
Mack figured she could spare the time, so she said yes. A few days after she
started, the program's volunteer coordinator left to take a full-time job.

"Rev. Howard asked me to fill in just until he could find
someone else," Mack says. "I couldn't say no. The rest is
history."

Howard describes Mack as someone who is always there to lend a
helping hand, regardless of the need. "Inez will help whenever we ask her
to serve," Howard says. "She is a missionary in our church, a worker
with our youth, a grandmother and a single parent of four. Lastly, she has a
heart as big as the State of New York, and we all love her."

Mack and her crew of eight "regular" volunteers work
tirelessly, five days a week, providing hot meals for as many as 100 adults a
day and emergency food baskets for families in need. Mack and Donnie Herring do
the majority of the cooking and meal planning, based on the provisions that flow
through their door. The ladies generally arrive at the church by 9:30 a.m. and
leave after the last meal is distributed around 4 p.m. On Fridays, Mack and
Herring are given a respite from cooking by Ernestine Dowdell.

"Donnie is my backbone," Mack says. "She has
been with me since day one. And I have a good soldier in Linda Sexton, who comes
three days a week and walks in working."

The rest of Mack's faithful volunteers slip in and out
throughout the day. Regardless of when they come or how long they can stay,
there's always work to do, whether it involves picking up food from area
churches or restaurants; unloading, sorting and packaging food that is delivered
directly to Hopps; packing up the individual meals; washing dishes; or sorting
donated clothing. The group works together like a well-oiled machine.

"God has blessed us by giving us good people to work
with, and we get the job done," Mack says.

The majority of the people who show up for the daily meal are
single; some are homeless, Mack says. Most are men, but she says the number of
women who come for meals has been steadily increasing. Their ages range from 18
to 80.

"We don't ask questions; we simply offer them food, an
ear to listen and sometimes someone just needs a hug," Mack says.

The work is hard. Mack says she works harder now than she did
before retiring. She goes home tired; sometimes she gets discouraged. But she
also says she feels blessed to have this opportunity to give something back to
the community that supported her while she struggled to raise four children.

"I've become more humble," Mack says. "I've
met so many beautiful people, and I get paid in ways that are more valuable than
money. Sometimes, when I'm really tired, someone comes up to me and says 'thank
you for the meal,' and gives me a hug. It just makes my day."

The first lesson Larry Williams taught as a social studies
student teacher in Liverpool High School was titled the "Latin American
Rap." His students were thrilled. Together, the class rapped through the
history of the Panama Canal, and they all aced the exam the following week.

Williams, who is now the high school's conflict mediation
and resolution specialist, didn't plan a career in education. After graduating
from SUNY Binghamton in 1982, the Syracuse native tried selling cars and later
life insurance, but he failed miserably at both. His fatal flaw--he took too
much time with his clients and cared too much about them, so his supervisors
said.

He then landed a job with the Syracuse Boys and Girls Club as
director of a youth employment program. While there, Williams developed a knack
for working with youth, which became his life calling. Williams next worked as a
probation officer before he decided to embark on a career in education. He
enrolled in the teacher certification program at the SUNY College at Cortland in
1989. "I thrived in the program," he says. "It was a wonderful
experience."

Williams planned to begin his teaching career in an inner-city
school in Syracuse. But his mentor, Cortland faculty member Roger Seifer,
changed all of that when he chose Liverpool High School as the setting for
Williams' student teaching experience, despite Williams' misgivings.

"He said to me, 'Larry, you have an ability to reach
kids. No matter where you work, kids will benefit from you as a human being and
as a teacher,'" Williams says. "I agreed to do it. The experience
turned out to be one of the most powerful experiences of my life."

After graduating from Cortland in 1990, Williams accepted a
full-time teaching position at Liverpool High School during a time when tensions
among students--black and white--were high. As he was walking down the hall
during his fourth day on the job, Williams recalls a white student blurting out,
"Oh, s___, a black teacher!" To which Williams spontaneously replied,
"Oh my God, where?"

"Everyone broke out in laughter," Williams says.
"The moment was an ice-breaker between the students and me."

Williams has been breaking ice and building bridges in the
high school community ever since. "I didn't set out intentionally to ease
tensions," Williams says. "But it became a question of 'How do we
get students of color to become an active part of this institution of learning,
to be comfortable within the school and to be accepted?'"

Shortly after arriving, Williams established UMOJA (a Swahili
word for unity), an after-school program designed to promote racial
reconciliation. Determined to help students move beyond their differences and
embrace their commonalties, Williams used UMOJA as a vehicle to promote cultural
understanding within the community. The group's first event was a community
talent show. It featured seven acts, and 20 people were in the audience.
"People thought UMOJA was just for black people," Williams says.
"We realized it would be difficult to break the stereotype."

Undaunted, Williams and his students persevered. The following
year, 100 people attended. The annual talent show is now among the most
anticipated multicultural events in the school, boasting some 25 acts and a
sell-out crowd. "The show is a community event," Williams says.
"We now have the problem of having too many people audition for it."

UMOJA also sponsors an annual Kwanza banquet, which attracts
some 200 people, and a series of events to celebrate Black History Month.
"While UMOJA's membership is still mostly black students, the group is
widely accepted and is associated with cultural events that are out of the
ordinary and that are designed to enrich our community," Williams says.

Williams' youth advocacy goes beyond his job. He and his
wife, Eva, are active members of their church and of their community. The couple
and their three daughters live in Syracuse's South Side, the community within
which Williams grew up. Williams was instrumental in reviving the Kirk Park
Colts Pop Warner Football Association, helping to raise some $75,000 to get the
team up and running again in 1991. The organization serves some 300 boys and
girls through its football, flag team and tutoring programs. Williams also
teaches workshops on conflict resolution and mediation in churches, schools and
community organizations throughout Central New York.

"I want all of my students to know they have a place on
this earth, be they black, white, male or female," Williams says. "It's
about diversity, respect for others, Umoja, and understanding that they were
born for a purpose and they can be successful. I thank God for giving me the
opportunity to make positive changes in people's lives."

During his sophomore year at Fayetteville-Manlius High School,
Aaron Kingson began looking for an opportunity to volunteer. He decided to offer
his time and talent to the Fayette Street Boys and Girls Club in Syracuse,
located not far geographically from school and his home in Manlius. In social
and economic terms, though, the miles between his high school and the club
couldn't seem farther apart.

Kingson began volunteering at the club in the spring of 1999.
He works as a mentor with youths ages 6 to 12, helping them with homework,
playing games, and often just engaging in conversation, showing an interest and
concern that they may not see elsewhere in their lives.

"It has really been great for me," says Kingson, now
an F-M senior. "I like F-M, but in some sense it is like being in a bubble.
There isn't a lot of diversity, particularly in racial and socioeconomic
terms. Through my time at the club, I have experienced a different end of the
spectrum."

Kingson was inspired by his experience but realized that the
work that needed to be done was more than he could do alone. This past summer,
he brought a dozen of his friends to the club, "those who were interested
in volunteering for the right reasons," he says. Collectively, the group
logged about 500 volunteer hours over the summer.

Kingson decided to take his volunteer experience a step
further by developing a new program this past fall that would bring his high
school and the club together in an unprecedented way. After obtaining the
support of F-M administrators and teachers, he went into classrooms to speak
about the club. Kingson recruited more than 80 student volunteers to work with
youths in five program areas: leadership and educational development; sports,
fitness and recreation; leadership and character development; the arts; and
health and life skills. Kingson develops publicity for the program and
coordinates transportation for the volunteers. His father, SU professor of
social work Eric Kingson, provides advice when needed.

Kingson says the experience has been both fulfilling and
eye-opening. "I take for granted that I have two caring parents, a nice
house to live in and will be going to college," he says. "That is not
they way it is for the kids at the club. My parents always taught me to give
something back. I hope I have also helped other people recognize what is out
there."

As a senior, Kingson is now applying to colleges (he plans to
major in economics). He is confident that the partnership he has created between
the Fayette Street Boys and Girls Club and Fayetteville-Manlius High School will
continue to be strong even after he has moved on.

Kingson says he is proud to be a recipient of the award.
"I am very pleased and honored," he says. "It's nice to know
that things are recognized."

Shenea Hunt says she is basically a shy person. But since
arriving at Syracuse University three years ago, the junior information
management and technology major in the School of Information Studies has taken
the lead in efforts to promote diversity and social justice and to further the
dialogue on race relations on campus.

Last fall, Hunt planned and organized the fourth annual
leadership conference sponsored by SU's Office of Multicultural Affairs--an
accomplishment of which she is very proud. The conference, "Pressure Points
in 21st Century Media: Deconstructing Stereotypes, Applying the Theoretical and
Maintaining Privacy," brought together students, faculty, and
representatives from both campus and professional media organizations to discuss
issues of diversity, cultural sensitivity and how minorities are portrayed in
the media.

"This was something I needed to do for myself," Hunt
says. "The conference was the result of a number of issues that have been
discussed on campus during the past couple of years. We had panelists from
student newspapers and from media organizations in the community."

Hunt has worked in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA)
since her freshman year. In addition to planning the leadership conference for
the OMA, Hunt developed a database of scholarship and internship opportunities
for students that is now located on OMA's Web site, and she has eagerly helped
students use OMA services.

"Through her work at the OMA and other organizations on
campus, Shenea has demonstrated a commitment to her fellow students, her college
and her family in furthering social justice issues and pushing forward the
dialogue on race relations," says Irma Almirall-Padamsee, former director
of the OMA. "Shenea does not hesitate to jump into a situation to pull the
pieces together and make things work."

Hunt has been a student representative to SU's Board of
Trustees, has served on the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Diversity, and
has been a member of the executive board of the Black and Latino Information
Studies Support (BLISTS) student organization in the School of Information
Studies. Growing up in the Bronx and graduating from an inner-city high school
has given Hunt what she believes is a unique perspective on some of the
difficulties students of color face in their pursuit of higher education. She
shared her insights with the Chancellor's committee when it was looking at
ways to increase the number of students of color on campus.

"I told the committee that one of the reasons students
don't bother to apply to universities like SU might be because of poor
guidance from high schools," Hunt says. "Our high school guidance
counselor discouraged us from applying to private universities, regardless of
our grades. She told me not to apply to SU, and she told the class valedictorian
not to apply to Yale University. I'm the first one from my family to go to
college. We had to learn about the application process as we went along. It was
very difficult."

Hunt says her experiences at SU have helped her develop
leadership skills and to explore issues from a variety of viewpoints.
"There will always be problems in the world and on campus, but if you can
do something to change things within yourself and in others, you can make things
better. Getting involved makes you a well-rounded person."

As associate director of Syracuse University's Office of
Residence Life (ORL), Adrea Jaehnig is responsible for the office's budget and
operations, and has oversight of learning communities and human resources. But
through her role as chair of ORL's Diversity Committee, Jaehnig has gained the
respect of students, faculty and staff as one who advocates for a University
culture that celebrates diversity.

The ORL Diversity Committee provides education, training and
resources for faculty and staff, and implements diversity programs and services
aimed at educating and challenging students. In addition to her official ORL
responsibilities, Jaehnig works tirelessly as an advocate, counselor and friend
of students. She counsels students in SU's Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT)
community, helping them to transition to University life and to succeed.
Following a recent incident of anti-gay sentiment on campus, Jaehnig advocated
on behalf of the GLBT community.

She has also served as the advisor to Pride Union, the
University's GLBT organization; has created Rainbow Alliance, a group of
Residence Life paraprofessional and professional staff who are GLBT or
questioning; is a member of the University Senate's ad hoc committee for GLBT;
and has served for three years on the board of directors of AIDS Community
Resources, most recently as secretary.

"Simply put, Adrea is the champion of GLBT students and
staff on this campus," says Khristian Kemp-DeLisser, a senior in The
College of Arts and Sciences. "I haven't met anyone who cares as deeply
about marginalized people of all kinds.

"Through the ORL Diversity Committee, Adrea created and
ran a program dealing with race relations called Skin Deep, of which I was a
participant. She ensures that ORL fulfills its commitment to diversity."

Jaehnig says helping others comes natural to her. "I see
it as an act of who I am--a person who cares about the human condition,"
she says. "If I see something unjust, I can't turn my back on it."

Jaehnig's caring nature has earned the admiration of those
who work with her.

"Like Dr. King, Adrea is an educator," says Tom
Ellett, director of the Office of Residence Life. "She not only spends time
understanding the issues facing people who are oppressed but spends time
enhancing their lives.

"She leads by example," Ellett says. "While it
might be easy to stay silent, Adrea makes sure that her presence is felt in a
manner that brings people together. She is a unique individual who rises to the
challenge of creating a community that cares and understands one another. We at
Syracuse University are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and competent
individual, role modeling values that reflect human care. Her work is endless,
as is the cause of the human rights of all people."

"Adrea is open to discussion and creates a caring and
comforting environment for people of all races, religions and backgrounds,"
says Remya Venkateswaran, a sophomore in the School of Management. "She
shows an eagerness to learn, gives support in times when it is needed, and is
always ready to lend a hand. She is the very picture of cultural
understanding."

Jaehnig, who arrived at Syracuse University eight years ago,
says she is honored to be a recipient of the MLK Unsung Heroine Award.

"It is truly an honor to receive this award in the name
of Martin Luther King," she says. "Like Dr. King, I believe that the
universe is bent toward justice and we all have our role to play in getting
there."