DEARBORN — The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. shined through this past Friday at Byblos Banquet Hall when the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI) hosted their 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Awards Reception, co-hosted by American Citizens for Justice (ACJ).

For 14 years now, the ADC has opened up scholarship opportunities to any high school seniors who are of Arab or Chaldean descent. The students are told to submit a letter describing what influence MLK has had on their lives. A committee spearheaded by the ADC then narrows down the dozens of applicants to the top 25 best submissions. Those students are then invited to the yearly ceremony where they are given their scholarships.

This year, Universal Academy located in Detroit by far led all the other high schools, with 13 of the 25 recipients coming from their school. Fordson High School in Dearborn was the runner up, with a total of 5 students, including first place winner Asma Badan. Dearborn Heights schools Star Academy and Crestwood High School each had two recipients, while one recipient came from Plymouth High School.

The Master of Ceremonies at the event was Ron Savage, anchor and news reporter for Fox 2 News. Mayor Jack O’Reilly gave the opening remarks at the ceremony, where he recognized the ADC as a significant organization that continues to represent the community.

First place winner Asma Badan reading her essay at the podium. PHOTO: Imad Mohamad/TAAN

“ADC represents the spirit of what Martin Luther King stood for because it’s about every spirit and every person no matter what it is that brought them here to our shores, that they should have the opportunity to succeed. They should be given the opportunity,  and everybody deserves that opportunity because education is the hallmark of our country. It created our past and it will create our future. ADC has been one of the champions in our community to making sure that every person has an opportunity,” Mayor Jack O’Reilly said.

During the event, a tribute was given in memory of Judith A. Frey. Frey, who had lost her battle to pancreatic cancer last year, had always been a strong advocate for education while working for the Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Frey was always a major contributor at ADC’s annual scholarship ceremonies.

An Exceptional Scholarship Award was given to 13-year-old Bachar Kachkouche, who is on track to graduate from high school at the age of 15 because of his academic excellence. Bachar was already in first grade when he was only 3. At the age of 12, he enrolled at Detroit Country Day school as a 10th grader. Bachar’s dream is to continue pursuing his education despite the debate around age appropriate grade placement.

The Ambassador of Goodwill Award was given to Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain, a poet and prominent businessman from Kuwait. His dedication to general and higher education has led him to establish more than 23 schools, colleges and institutes in several countries as charitable contributions on behalf of Kuwait. He has also established numerous educational scholarships, including the Global Prize for Historical and Cultural Studies in Andalusia, worth over $30,000.

After scholarships were given to the 25 selected students, first place winner Asma Badan took the stage to share with the audience the speech that the ADC and the ACJ felt was the most compelling.  Badan’s speech focused on how she strives to reach out to strangers, so that they could get a good impression of her and her community, which would in turn dispel any sort of stereotyping.  

“To this day it’s apparent that the values King struggled for are still in practice. One of the many ideas taught by King, acceptance and co-operation, have had very pronounced influence on me…not only has acceptance come my way, but so has the co-operation of human beings known as strangers….the kind woman at the Detroit airport who sat next to me as we were waiting for passengers to board the plane, the cashier at CVS who spoke to me about his schedule as if we had been friends all our lives, the woman who opened up to me about her mothers health, the stranger who shared my love for British television. The strangers who cross paths with me live on Kings words. They don’t act kind, honest, pleasant and friendly, they are kind, honest, pleasant and friendly,” Asma Badan stated.