2026 Michigan United MLK Jr Award Nominees
Tap on a name to go to their profile
About Our Awards
Martin Luther King Jr Award
This award is given to a member or organization of Faith that has stood up for justice, equality, inclusion, and righteousness. This awardee has stood with the oppressed, the forgotten, and the marginalized of society.
Justice Warrior
This award is given to a community activist/organizer who led a community effort to bring about community change on a local, county, or statewide level.
Elder of the Year Award
This award honors an individual who uses wisdom and knowledge to inspire others, guiding them to cultivate their skills and talents, and empowering them to take action in the liberation of our communities.
John Lewis Political Healer Award
This award is given to a man of color.
John Lewis used his story in the public arena to liberate or free others from trauma caused by systemic racism.
Meet Our Nominees
Lexi Tater
Lexi Tater is a PhD student at Michigan Technological University studying Environmental and Energy Policy, and is also a volunteer organizer with Michigan United Action (MUA) through a community organization named Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy (KATO), which she founded. KATO is MUA's first volunteer hub of organizers that fights for justice in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Their mission statement is to "Empower everyday people in the Keweenaw to fight for justice. [They] organize, educate, and mobilize to uplift rural voices, challenge the elite, and build a more just and democratic community. [They] are a local hub of Michigan United Action and a national partner of People’s Action”. KATO has become a political home for all that hosts Michigan representatives, collects signatures for Michigan for the Many ballot initiatives, canvases for the voted-on environmental campaign at local events, and supports other local activist groups. [They] also host monthly power-building meetings to train, learn, and invest in the Keweenaw Peninsula to strategize for a better Western Upper Peninsula.
Dr. Alicia Renee Farris
Dr. Alicia Renee Farris is the former Chief Operations Officer for Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United. Born and raised in Detroit, Farris was the state director for the Michigan arm (ROC-MI) for seven years. Under her leadership, ROC-MI ran a successful ballot initiative to increase the Michigan Minimum Wage to $12 by January 2021. More than 1.5 Michigan households would have benefited from this increase if not thwarted by legislative action during the 2018 “lame duck” session. Farris founded the Michigan Institute for Nonviolence Education in 1998, and maintains the distinction of being the only Level 3 Trainer of the Kingian Nonviolent Conflict Reconciliation Training Program inspired by the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She is also the Eden Park Community Project (EPCP) Steering Committee Co-Chair and also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy’s College of Liberal Arts and Education for 12 years. She is the current board chair of Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan.
Fatima Salman
Fatima Salman is a macro social worker and community organizer. She is part of the ENGAGE team at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and works with communities and organizations in Wayne and Washtenaw county to increase their capacity and resources to meet their goals. Through the work of ENGAGE, she runs the Employment Equity Action and Learning Collaborative, a collaborative of 65+ stakeholders working in Detroit that come together to leverage resources and foster just and equitable economic development solutions for individuals in the city of Detroit.
Fatima is a LEO Lecturer for the University of Michigan- School of Social Work, serves on the board of the Guidance Center in Detroit, Michigan, and is a Racial Equity Fellow with Detroit Equity Action Lab. She has recently been appointed to be a board member at Detroit Public Television and was appointed by Governor Whitmer to be on the Growing Michigan Together Council Higher Education Workgroup. She also serves as the Vice President of the National Association of Social Workers, which advocates and supports social workers across the country.
Irene Murphy Lietz
Irene Murphy Lietz holds a B.A. (Marygrove College), M.A. (University of Detroit, and Ph.D. (Union Institute and University). A Professor Emerita of English at Carlow University, Pittsburgh and long-time teacher of first-year and professional writing, her writing and community work focus on social justice, racism, and gender-based violence. Her book, Teaching and Race: How to Survive, Manage, and Even Encourage Race Talk was published in 2020 by Peter Lang Publishing. She grew up in Warren, MI and currently lives with her husband Ted in Royal Oak. Irene and Rev. Louis Forsythe co-founded Conversations on Race, a registered nonprofit whose mission is “Together learning the art of braver conversations to undo anti-Blackness and to act as advocates for racial justice.” Having conducted eight 3-4 week Library Series in Oakland and Livingston Counties, and some 65 monthly community conversations, Conversations on Race is now ready and eager to reach more Michigan counties with its special brand of antiracist education and relationship-building so that all of us can live together in equity.
Jay Love
Jay Love, is a Detroit-based criminal justice reform advocate, community leader, and media voice committed to confronting systemic injustice and amplifying silenced communities. She is the President of Survivors Speak and an Executive Board Member of the Michigan Coalition of Human Rights.
Jay is the founder of the Justice for Gerard Movement, launched after her son, Gerard Haycraft, was wrongfully incarcerated in 2019 and subjected to severe medical neglect. She is also the creator and host of Turning A Moment Into A Movement, a livestream and podcast exposing wrongful convictions, prison abuse, and human rights violations.
Her current advocacy includes leading the campaign to save Krystal Denise Clark, an incarcerated woman suffering from life-threatening medical neglect and toxic mold exposure at Michigan’s Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. Drawing from lived experience, Jay Love uses her voice to heal, mobilize, and fight for dignity, accountability, and justice.
Rev. Paul Perez
Rev. Paul Perez is an ordained Deacon in the The United Methodist Church and serves as Lead Minister at Central United Methodist Church, a historic, justice-seeking congregation in the heart of downtown Detroit. Central is home to several community-based, grassroots organizations advocating for peace and justice.
Over two decades of ordained ministry, Paul served on the staff of Dulin United Methodist Church in Falls Church, Virginia and Newburg United Methodist Church in Livonia. For ten years, he served on the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church with a portfolio of mission, justice, and young adult ministries and, in his final two years, as the Director of Connectional Ministries. He was the first Deacon and Latinx person to serve in that role.
Paul is deeply committed to serving his community. He is a founding leader of Immigration Law & Justice Michigan, a United Methodist-related immigration legal aid provider, and After the Storm Michigan, a United Methodist-related disaster ministries nonprofit. Paul was the President of Michigan United’s board of directors from 2014-2019. He is a member of Noah at Central’s board of directors
Sherri Mason
Sherri got her start as an activist in 1999 when she was teaching elementary school and heard breaking news about a kindergartner who found a gun in his home and took it to school and shot his 5-year-old classmate. This tragedy and the shooting at Columbine High School prompted her to ride a bus to Washington D.C. for the Million Mom March on Mother’s Day 2000-an experience that changed her life. For ten years Sherri worked as an organizer of one of the first gun violence prevention groups in MI, the Million Mom March, later known as the Brady Campaign, and served as state Vice Chair. When the MI chapter was discontinued, she became active in pro-democracy work as a team leader during the Obama first run for president. In 2017 she helped organize a local chapter of a new grassroots movement called Indivisible. In 2018 she was on the organizing team for the first statewide conference of Indivisible chapters, which became Statewide Indivisible MI, better known as SWIM. Today, in addition to remaining in the leadership of her local Indivisible chapter, she represents SWIM on the End Gun Violence MI steering committee as well as the MI Freedom Coalition.
Kai Howard
Kai Howard (Professionally known as Kai Paige) is one of the few African American women in Michigan to lead multiple high-level political statewide campaigns to victory. With over a decade in the auto industry as a finance manager, she transitioned into nonprofit leadership and political campaign leadership, helping secure three statewide wins and the election and of 8 judges - 4 of those are Supreme Court Justices. Most recently she led Justice Bolden’s historic campaign -the First African woman to serve on the Mi Supreme Court.
Kai was led to this work after the life of Trayvon Martin was taken. She had no idea what to do but she dug in and started to make a positive impact by working with those that wanted to make positive change.
A devoted wife and mother, Kai blends fierce advocacy with personal flair. Known for her dynamic presence and unapologetic authenticity, she thrives on defying expectations and uplifting others. As co-chair of Fems for Dems an Organization focused on supporting and electing women/Dems, Kai is deeply committed to advancing representation, equity, and justice across Michigan.
State Rep. Donovan McKinney
State Rep. Donavan McKinney is currently serving his second term in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 11th House District, which includes southern portions of Warren and parts of northeast Detroit. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where he is the Minority Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the DFIS/LARA budget and a ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Agriculture/DNR budget. Representative McKinney is also the co-chair of the Michigan Legislative Aerospace and Defense Caucus and previously served as secretary of the Detroit Legislative Caucus.
A lifelong Detroiter, Rep. McKinney was raised by his mother and grandmother, who taught him the importance of community, leadership, and service. He is a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a graduate of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He worships and serves as a trustee at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Detroit.
Branden Snyder
In March 2025, the Working Families Party named Branden Snyder as the inaugural Michigan WFP State Director. For nearly 20 years, he has organized to build power for working people and get results for them. Branden was the founder and executive director of Detroit Action, a community-based organization made up of workers, tenants, and young people fighting for economic justice. Branden’s commitment to democracy and racial justice is fueled, in great part, by his experiences as a Detroiter and those of other Detroiters who have endured poverty and the criminal justice system. He believes in the power of bringing our communities together and challenging leaders to go from victims to victors by engaging the systems and policies that impact our lives. Branden is a graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor with a B.A. in Political Science and Afro-American studies and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School for Public Policy.
Sean McBrearty
"Sean grew up in central California, worked on the 2008 Obama campaign in Ohio and moved to Michigan in 2010. He started at Clean Water Action as a field canvasser in 2011, and was a canvass director, program organizer, and legislative director before starting his current role as Michigan Director. He has also served as campaign coordinator for the Oil and Water Don't Mix campaign to shut down the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline since 2018, and is on the board of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. He lives in Holt and when not working enjoys spending time with his family, and playing saxophone and singing with various music groups in Lansing."
Charles Swiderski Cavell
Prior to being elected in 2020 as an Oakland County Commissioner, Charlie worked on homelessness, in schools, and built workers' power.
While in office Charlie has championed the creation of Oakland County's Attainable Housing Trust Fund, OakGov's Childcare Scholarship, erasing the medical debt of 80,000 residents, starting the Student Debt Forgiveness Initiative for thousands of county residents and pushing numerous criminal justice reforms including the creation of Oakland County’s Co-Responder program, expanding Operation Drive to the County court system, and establishing Oakland County’s gun buyback program.
In 2025, Charlie proudly sponsored bringing the innovative Rx Kids program to the residents of Pontiac, Royal Oak Township, and Hazel Park, and has been lifting up the need for a more ethical Oakland County government.
Professionally, Charlie seeks to further racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. Personally, Charlie seeks to cook his wife, Caitie, an edible dinner 6 nights a week.
Katrina Manetta
Katrina Manetta is a social and political activist in Macomb County, Michigan, and the co-founder and executive director of Macomb Defenders Rising, an Indivisible group focused on defending democratic principles and building community-based civic engagement. With a background in sociology, she brings a deep understanding of social power dynamics to her work, focusing on building people-powered movements and developing accessible pathways to civic leadership. Katrina has helped coordinate large-scale regional mobilizations, organized and supported sustained movement efforts across Metro Detroit, and led initiatives advocating for immigrant and constitutional rights while addressing food insecurity through community resource coordination. She is committed to democratic accountability and ethical governance, and to building safer communities rooted in real representation, affordability, access to care, and human rights.
Spencer Calhoun
Spencer Calhoun is a political strategist, organizer, and public servant. A formerly homeless youth, he brings lived experience to his work. His advocacy also focuses on working people, healthcare access, veterans, and the preservation and expansion of SNAP and other benefits, as well as efforts to hold corporations and monopolies accountable and promote economic fairness. As an elected official, Spencer works for a more proactive, transparent, and responsive local government. From investing in infrastructure to advancing firearm safety and defending civil rights, He is focused on delivering real results for residents.
Christina Hayes
Christina Hayes is the State Paid Leave Organizer for Mothering Justice organization.
She is a Lupus Warrior who learns daily how to thrive in Life in spite of having a chronic illness. Christina advocates to make sure everyone has access to Paid Leave because it is her purpose and passion to make sure no one ever has to choose like she has between their health/taking care of a loved one vs their pay check. Christina is also the founder of The Christina Project which provides hope and inspiration to Lupus patients and their families.
Christina is from Detroit Michigan and in her free time loves to travel the world while learning how to change it!
Nicole NeShone Liggins
Nicole NeShone Liggins is a visionary entrepreneur, community advocate, and mental-health innovator dedicated to strengthening families and expanding opportunities for youth across Saginaw County. A native of Saginaw, Nicole holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Development Administration from Central Michigan University and a Business Acumen certification from Michigan State University.
With more than 20 years of experience in business development, early childhood education, organizational leadership, and community programming, Nicole has founded and led multiple impactful organizations. She is the longtime owner of Building Blocks Childcare & Preschool Center, CEO and co-owner of Guided Grace Mental Health Agency, and the co-founder and President of Guided Grace Family & Youth Services, a nonprofit delivering transformative mental-health, OST, and technology-integrated interventions for youth and families.
Driven by a mission to build brighter futures “one child at a time,” Nicole combines innovation, compassion, and strategic leadership to create spaces where children, families, and communities can grow, heal, and thrive.
Mr. Sylvester Liggins
Mr. Sylvester Liggins is a native of Saginaw, MI and a successful Clinical Mental Health Therapist for the past 11 years who believes that his client’s care should be his highest priority. Sylvester is a co- founder of Guided Grace which was established in 2016. He holds a Bachelor degree in Social Work from Saginaw Valley State University and a Master’s degree in clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University where he is actively pursuing a PhD in Psychology with a concentration in Family Intervention. Sylvester was awarded an Honorable Discharge along with the Good Conduct Medal after serving 8 years in the United States Marine Corps.
Sylvester draws from his own life story and the challenges he faced when he was younger that are consistent reminders that poor mental health is an emotional distraction constantly ignored. Sylvester is currently the head coach of 7th grade Michigan Storm Elite girl’s basketball team.
In his spare time Sylvester enjoys spending time with his wife and children. Whenever there is sunshine and warm weather, you can find Sylvester Liggins on the golf course. For the last two years he has competed on the Michigan Amateur Golf Tour.
Pastor Dale Milford
Dale Milford is a dedicated social justice advocate who bridges the gap between strategic leadership and grassroots mobilization. A volunteer at Michigan United since 2018, and then a salaried Faith in Justice Community Organizer starting in 2023, Dale has been fighting for policy changes that uplift marginalized voices in Detroit.
His commitment to justice is rooted in over a decade of service as a United Methodist Pastor and 14 years as a Prison Worship Leader, where he walked alongside the incarcerated. Formerly
a corporate president who grew teams of over 100, Dale now leverages his lifetime of expertise in resource mobilization and coalition building to drive social equity, embodying the spirit of
service honored by this award.
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