(For full details, be sure to visit the link trianglemlk.com.  Vance, Granville, Franklin residents should apply.)

The Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee is accepting nominations for a special award to recognize a young person making a positive impact in his or her community through social justice activities. The John Lewis Student Activist Award will be a one-time award given in 2021 and honors the life and legacy of the late U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis, who died in 2020. The winner will be announced in the annual MLK, Jr. Interfaith breakfast, held virtually on Jan. 18, 2021.

This student award is in addition to the annual King Leader Grant Award, given to the leader of an organization for work in the community, according to information released by the committee. The counties eligible to submit nominations include Franklin, Granville and Vance counties in the WIZS listening area. The deadline to submit nominations for both awards is Jan. 5, 2021.

Dr. Anthony Jackson, Superintendent of Vance County Public Schools, is helping the Triangle MLK, Jr. Committee spread the word locally. The student award “is for students who have really lifted their voice to speak out – we have some great kids in our community, so I’m challenging us to identify those student leaders and identify those organization leaders…we’ve never had a winner from this area,” Jackson added.

Congressman Lewis described his activism as “good trouble,” which began when he was young. The Triangle MLK, Jr. Committee established the award to honor Lewis’s legacy of leadership that began in his youth; nominees must be between the ages of 18 and 22. According to information provided by the committee, the purpose of the award is “to recognize and uplift the work of a modern-day, passionate young leader that is making significant strides and impact in social justice activism as the civil rights movement marches on.”

In addition to the student award, the King Leader Award is given to the leader of an organization that has made or continues to have a positive impact in a community in the areas of social justice, community empowerment, equity and/or inclusivity or has been a catalyst in relationship building in the community. Review the application for additional eligibility requirements. This is the third year the King Leader Award has been given.

The John Lewis Award winner will receive a $500 honorarium; The King Leader Award will receive $5,000 for the organization he or she leads.

For more information about the Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee and to download the applications, visit trianglemlk.com.