Winston-Salem State University announces the Martin Luther King Jr. Building the Dream award winners
For the past 21 years Winston-Salem State University and Wake Forest University have collaborated on an event to celebrate the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the traditions of this collaboration is naming winners of the “Building the Dream” award. This award honors one student and one faculty or staff member who exemplifies Dr. King’s spirit of social justice and equity for the betterment of the community.
The WSSU winners of the 2023 Building the Dream Award are Mr. John Williams and Mr. Treshone Weeks. Williams has been an instructor in the Department of Physical Education at WSSU for over 20 years and has over 30 years of coaching at the college level. Weeks is a senior majoring in business administration who is also the 48th Mr. Winston-Salem State University.
When asked what it meant to him to be selected for this honor Weeks said “This award is a testament to the way I have pushed my community to transcend. It serves as proof that WSSU has indeed acknowledged my effort to uplift the hearts and minds of the people around me.”
Both awardees spoke about how the principles of social justice and equity inform their worldviews. Williams said “As for social justice, we still have a long way to go. We all know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for social justice and peace. If we could all agree with what Dr. King stood for, the world would be a much better place for everyone.”
Weeks said “Being that I attend a historically black university, it is known that we are not afforded the same resources as other schools. Although we continue to fight for equality throughout the school system nothing seems to change. However, I can say that our efforts have yet to cease. I can find joy in the fact that the next generation will see the results of our work.”
Coach Williams closed by saying “It was quite an honor to be nominated and to win such an outstanding award. I will cherish this award forever!”
