Nominations Open for 2026 MLK Humanitarian Awards

Faculty and staff are invited to nominate a CofC faculty, staff or community member who embodies the ideals of racial equity, inclusivity and social justice espoused by Martin Luther King Jr. for the Black History Intercollegiate Consortium‘s (BHIC) 2026 MLK Humanitarian Awards. Nominations are open through Nov. 14, 2025.

BHIC is comprised of the College of Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Trident Technical College, The Citadel and Charleston Southern University. It was co-founded in the late 1980s by the affirmative action officers from the College and MUSC to enhance racial harmony between the Charleston region’s five institutions of higher education and the communities they serve. Every year, a deserving representative from each of the five colleges is presented an MLK Humanitarian Award at the BHIC’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, which brings students, faculty, staff and community members together for an uplifting evening of song and spoken word on the Tuesday following MLK Day.

Awards will be presented by the person who nominated the recipient at the 2026 BHIC event at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in the College of Charleston Simons Center for the Arts Recital Hall. A reception in the Simons Center lobby will follow.

Past award recipients from the College of Charleston include Shannon Eaves (2025), associate professor of history; Lauren Herterich (2024), Kids On Point executive director; Joy Vandervort-Cobb (2023), professor emerita of theatre and dance; and Rochelle Johnson (2022), director of the Life Design Coaching Programs.

To nominate a faculty, staff or community member for the 2026 MLK Humanitarian Awards, complete the nomination form by Nov. 14, 2025.