University of Wisconsin-Madison staff member Hazel Symonette will be presented with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award Monday at Madison’s 29th City-Country Observance, one of the various events offered in the community in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day according to a university news release.
Symonette works in UW-Madison’s Division of Student Life as an assessment specialist and program developer and has also headed multiple projects including the Information Technology Academy, a program that helps prepare Madison public school students for higher education, according to the release. She will be honored for her work to advance social justice and create equal opportunities for all students and community members.
Mayor Paul Soglin said in the release Symonette is a great asset to Madison and very deserving of the award.
“Her decades of work on the UW campus and throughout the city has made an invaluable impact on the lives of students who without her assistance and guidance, would be at risk of dropping out,” Soglin said.
Symonette will receive her award at a ceremony scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Overture Center for the Arts’ Capitol Theater and will include a keynote by King’s friend, civil rights activist, politician and pastor Andrew Young, as well as a performance by the MLK Community Choir.
See below for more information on this and other events in the city Monday. All events are free of charge.
MLK Jr. Youth Service Day at Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
State Observance at Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda: 12 p.m.
Freedom Songs Sing-In at Overture Center for the Arts Rotunda: 5 p.m.
City-County Observance at Overture Center for the Arts Capitol Theater: 6 p.m.
