City now accepting MLK Jr. Award applications

People who work toward making Bloomington more egalitarian have the chance to be rewarded with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award.

The City of Bloomington Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission is now accepting nominations for the 10th annual award. The award recognizes people who have been involved in making tangible and meaningful contributions to the improvement of the community’s condition and toward the advancement of race relations, justice and human rights causes, according to the Bloomington city Web site. The nominees must have been Monroe County residents, businesses or advocacy groups for at least one year.

One of the past winners is Bloomington United, an organization that helps the community when there is an outright incident of hate, said Doug Bauder, a member of Bloomington United.

“It’s sort of like a response team of citizens,” Bauder said. “We respond periodically to instances of hate with letters, educational forums, rallies and other ways.”

Craig Brenner, special projects coordinator for Bloomington, said it is the work that organizations like Bloomington United do that makes them a perfect example of an ideal recipient.

“Those organizations have worked over the years behind the scenes to help when people’s human rights and civil rights were infringed upon by any other groups or actions,” Brenner said.

Brenner said the city usually receives about five to 10 nominations each year.
“You might not even know the person, but it’s someone that you know needs recognized,” he said.

In 2001, husband and wife Guy and Connie Loftman were the recipients of the Legacy Award.

“We were both active in the NAACP,” Guy Loftman said. “Connie was working on resolving civil rights complaints in the community, and I was working on a study of race and its impact in the Monroe County criminal justice system.”

Guy Loftman said he and his wife were busy that year, but they felt the NAACP was a cause worth their time.

The deadline for nominations is Jan. 9, and they can be made online at www.bloomington.in.gov/cfrd. Nomination forms are also available at the city’s Community and Family Resources Department in City Hall.

The awards ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

“We just hope that people will not only make a nomination, but join us when the award winner is announced,” Brenner said.