Flint Fowler, a strong champion for St. Louis’ young people and a WashU alumnus, will receive the annual Rosa L. Parks Award at the 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis.
In addition, WashU Medicine will hold a series of events as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week.
Fowler retired in December from Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Louis, where he served as executive director for 28 years. During his tenure, he helped the organization grow from a single location to 11 sites offering about 14,000 young people programs in leadership, academic success, career readiness, the arts and sports.
“We are honored to select Dr. Flint Fowler for the Rosa L. Parks Award to acknowledge his vision and expertise in transforming the lives of youths and their families in the St. Louis community,” said Rudolph Clay, chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration and head of inclusion, diversity, equity and access engagement at WashU Libraries. “With over 40 years of service, Dr. Fowler has dedicated himself to providing educational, emotional, physical and social programs that have empowered thousands of young people to succeed. In addition to the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Louis, his leadership has been instrumental in Boy Scouts of America Greater St. Louis Area Council, Saint Louis University’s Upward Bound Program, Operation Teamwork and Inroads/St. Louis.”
Fowler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washington University, where he studied psychology and Black studies in Arts & Sciences. He earned a PhD in higher education from Saint Louis University.
The Rosa L. Parks Award celebrates leaders in the St. Louis region who exemplify the valor of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
Also during Monday’s ceremony, Legacy Jackson will receive the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Service Award. Jackson started a nonprofit in 2016, the Little Legacies Community Service Organization, to encourage children to volunteer and to provide service opportunities for them.
Harvey Fields, founding dean of the College of STEM at Harris-Stowe State University and a former longtime leader at WashU, will deliver the commemoration’s keynote address.
Other speakers include Chancellor Andrew D. Martin; Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo, senior assistant dean of advising and lecturer in African and African American studies in Arts & Sciences; and the Rev. Callista Isabelle, director for religious, spiritual and ethical life. Students Hussein Amuri, president of Student Union, and Spencer Snipe, vice president of the Association of Black Students, will serve as co-hosts.
The event also will feature performances by Black Anthology, the Unending Praise Gospel Acapella Choir and the WashU Concert Choir.
The community also is invited to participate in a service project from noon-2 p.m. in the Danforth University Center (DUC) Tisch Commons, where volunteers will assemble hygiene kits for children in the Ritenour School District, care packages for those without homes, blankets for area animal shelters and cards for local senior citizens.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the DUC garage. The event also will be livestreamed here.
King commemmoration events at WashU Medicine
Kemi M. Doll, MD, a noted gynecologic oncologist at UW Medicine in Seattle, will discuss racial inequity in endometrial cancer from noon-1:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, in the Eric P. Newman Education Center auditorium on the WashU Medical Campus. Doll is also co-founder of the Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African Americans.
Part of WashU Medicine’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week 2025, Doll’s talk will examine racial disparities in endometrial cancer, a type of uterine cancer that occurs at nearly the same rates in Black and white women. However, studies have shown Black women have a higher likelihood of aggressive disease and death than white women. Black women are nearly twice as likely to die from the cancer than white women.
In addition to discussing her research, Doll will share insights from her work as an advocate for equity in health care. Dineo Khabele, MD, the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and head of obstetrics and gynecology at WashU Medicine, will moderate a Q&A session.
“I have no doubt the event will lead to an honest, thought-provoking discussion about the causes and potential remedies to racial disparities in endometrial cancer and, more broadly, in health care,” said Sherree A. Wilson, WashU Medicine’s associate vice chancellor and associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion. “It is a fitting way to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who famously stated, ‘of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.’”
Additional programming for WashU Medicine’s MLK Jr. Week includes:
- National Day of Service, all day Monday, Jan. 20.
- Kickoff for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s film club with the theme “Women’s Rights in the United States.” Participants will discuss a new documentary each month. Noon-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC), Room 205.
- WashU Medicine diversity, equity and inclusion update, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, FLTC, Connor Auditorium. The program also offers a Zoom option.
For more information, including registration requirements, visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week 2025 website.
