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Oxford resident focuses on Dr. King in Ph.D. studies

Program participants study the life and legacy of American civil rights leader.

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By Sarah Reder, Contributing Writer 12:40 PM Friday, February 5, 2010

OXFORD — Angela Walker first started studying the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in sixth grade.

Now, at 35 years old, the Oxford resident is taking her interest to the next level as one of the first participants in a Martin Luther King specialization at Union Institute and University, headquartered in Cincinnati.

The specialization was introduced in summer 2008 to provide select Ph.D. candidates with the opportunity to study the life and legacy of America’s most well known civil rights leader.

“I desired a program that would help me broaden my theoretical base as it relates to social justice,” Walker said. “When I saw that UI&I had a specialization in MLK studies, and it was a low residency requirement, I knew I had found the right program.”

Walker said her interest in Martin Luther King Jr. began at a young age, when she wrote a book report on the civil rights leader for her sixth-grade class.

“My aunt gave me newspaper clippings that she had saved from the ’60s. I read them over and over and was so excited to present them to my class,” said Walker, who has been living in Oxford since 2009. “Since that time, I have developed a King library of my own.”

Walker, who until recently was pastor of a church in Atlanta, Ga., said she plans to adapt King’s methods and philosophies to her own work in church, theater and higher education.

The MLK program allows her to collaborate with lawyers, clergy and administrators from across the country for her specialization studies.

Participants in the program take 30 hours of course work in two of three concentrations of choice, including ethical and creative leadership, public policy and social issues, and humanities and society.

Nicole Hamilton, public relations manager at the Union Institute and University, said the work of King is particularly relevant in today’s era, considering the state of the economy and the modern day emphasis on social justice.

While she said she does not know Walker personally, she recognizes the young Ph.D. candidate as someone who is extremely passionate about what she does and committed to connecting her studies to her work.

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