9i果冻制作厂

Desmond Fernandez, a senior BFA acting major at Otterbein, was honored with the Alston Award at Leadership Westerville鈥檚 16^th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Jan. 18, 2021. The award recognizes a member of the Westerville community that has embodied and lived out the ideals of Dr. King.  

Fernandez grew up in Westerville and attended Westerville City Schools before enrolling at Otterbein. His activism grew as a student until the summer of 2020, when he stepped up to organize protests and celebrations supporting Black Lives Matter.  

鈥淚鈥檝e been a part of this community for so long 鈥� it鈥檚 my lifeline for success and happiness,鈥� Fernandez said in an interview for 9i果冻制作厂Towers magazine. 鈥淭his is my time to be a part of this mission to better our community and make it even more diverse and more inclusive.鈥� 

The first protest he organized was a Black Lives Matter march in Westerville on June 3, 2020. The group marched through Otterbein鈥檚 campus and ended with a sit-in with speakers at the courthouse in Uptown Westerville. 鈥淲hat I thought was going to be maybe 50 people was almost 1,000. It was inspiring,鈥� he said.  

The nominator wrote: 鈥淎 tireless organizer, Desmond has taken on the events and heartbreaks of 2020 as opportunities to both raise awareness that our country and our communities need racial justice 鈥� and to achieve that, we need each other, we need to be in community. Desmond was the primary organizer for a number of events that brought us together in the midst of our global pandemic.  His organizing efforts included at least three protests, a Juneteenth celebration, and food distribution events for those in need.鈥� 

The nominator also noted “the love for humanity and joy of life that emanates from him.鈥� 

鈥淒esmond shows us all how to stand in and for racial and social justice while loving our neighbors, even if they don鈥檛 value and live the same things we do,” the nominator added.  

Fernandez has advice for anyone who wants to make a difference: ACT NOW.  

鈥淎lice Walker. Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X. Maya Angelou. John Lewis. Colin Kaepernick. These are聽absolutely profound聽people, and they made a huge impact on our American culture. But they鈥檙e just humans. You don鈥檛 need to give speeches in front of thousands of people or have all the press there to be an advocate. These people were advocates but they鈥檙e also activists. Like the first part of that word, you simply need to act. You鈥檝e got to do it and you鈥檝e got to act now,鈥� Fernandez said.聽聽

The Alton Award is named in honor of Miriam Alston and the group of slaves she freed who traveled to the Westerville area in 1859. The recipients of the annual award exemplify the characteristics demonstrated by Dr. King (tolerant, respectful, kind, brave, and tenacious), have respect for the differences in others around them, and take action when they see an injustice.