WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA — Wake Forest University (WFU) Bahamian student Rue Cooper was recently announced as a winner of the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr “Building the Dream” award.
She was named alongside Maj Derri Stormer, a member of the university’s campus police, and Deb Marke, who works in the Office of Civic and Community Engagement.
According to a WFU statement announcing the winners, the award is “traditionally presented to a professor or administrator and a student from Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) who exemplify King’s qualities and promote diversity within the community”.
“Annually, WFU and WSSU hold a joint celebration in honor of the slain civil rights leader; however, it was canceled this year in observance of COVID-19 protocols,” the statement read.
“The MLK event marks the longest running partnership between the two universities.”
In regards to Cooper, the statement added: “As former vice president of fellowship for APO, the largest service organization at Wake Forest, Cooper tried to ensure that the voices of all organizational members were heard and respected.
“She also championed establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Chair and Committee, which she headed during its first semester of implementation. As chair, Cooper coordinated focus groups and workshops that discussed diversity, inclusion and equity.”
According to the statement, Cooper describes herself as “a passionate RA for upperclassmen and a social justice advocate against campus-wide inequity”.
Described by her university as a student leader, the politics and English double major from Nassau is the daughter of Reverend Dr R E Cooper and attorney Daphne Cooper.
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