Members of RC community receive Roanoke SCLC Drum Major for Justice Awards
January 17, 2018
Roanoke College was well represented among recipients who received this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Justice Award from the Roanoke Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Recipients included two Roanoke alumni, Freeda Cathcart '83 and Sharon Hicks '98; Leslie Taylor, college editor; and Cleopatra Kitt, mother of SGA President Olivia Kitt '20.
The four were among a dozen people recognized at the organization's annual banquet Jan. 12 for service to their community. The Roanoke SCLC holds the banquet as part of its observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Cathcart is a community activist and former reinsurance specialist. She has served as president of the Roanoke Branch of the National Organization for Women and currently serves on the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, the League of Women Voters of Roanoke Valley Board and is president of the Grandin Court Neighborhood Association.
Hicks, an educator for 27 years, has served as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, supervisor of Gifted and Advanced Programs, and as an administrator. She currently is an educator in Pulaski County Public Schools.
Taylor is a former reporter, columnist, editor and editorial board member at The Roanoke Times. She has been the College's editor for seven years, serving as overall editor and as editor of the biannual Roanoke College magazine.
Cleopatra Kitt is director of special projects operations for Medical Facilities of America, Inc., a provider of transitional and long-term care services in Virginia and North Carolina. She is a member of the Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley Board of Directors and the Ivies Incorporated of Roanoke Valley Board of Directors.