Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia presented three individuals with the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award at the seventh annual Freedom Breakfast honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15.
The awards are given annually for exemplary work toward achieving King’s dream of equality and inclusion. This year’s winners are Angela Gay, Willie James and Pamela Kleiber.
Gay, a social worker in the Clarke County School District, is a native Athenian who graduated from Cedar Shoals High School in 1988. She graduated from UGA with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. She also serves as assistant director of the Young Women’s Christian Organization’s Girls Club Camp for girls ages 5–14.
James, a bailiff in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, has spent a lifetime committing himself to social justice. He has provided housing for displaced Hurricane Katrina victims, donated more than 70 pints of blood to the Red Cross, contributes bikes to Bike Athens and regularly gives food and toys to the needy. A native of Butler, Ala., he is a former member of the U.S. Navy, an alumnus of Athens Tech and formerly served as vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2109.
Kleiber developed the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities within the UGA Honors Program, which provides and inclusive community of young scholars who represent diverse fields of study, geographic regions, racial and ethnic backgrounds and genders. As the associate director of CURO, she has created civil and deliberative conversations in the classroom and community on national and international issues such as racial and ethnic tension, poverty and freedom of speech.
Winners are chosen by a committee composed of representatives from UGA and the Athens-Clarke County government and school district, which also co-sponsors the Freedom Breakfast with the university.