Living 'between the commas'
More than 300 Nebraska Medicine and UNMC colleagues gathered virtually Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while considering how they can live life "between the commas."
Cheryl Logan, EdD, superintendent of Omaha Public Schools, gave the keynote address, speaking about exceptionalism and living between the commas -- the added descriptors of a person. She spoke about her own life and family and answered questions about her career as an educator and leader in the Omaha community.
Dr. Logan said Dr. King was born an ordinary person but did extraordinary things in his life. She gave an example of how the "commas" around Dr. King added to his description, saying he could be called "Dr. King" or "Dr. King, human rights activist".
Dr. Logan challenged people to "punctuate your life with as many commas as it takes to leave your own personal legacy of exceptionalism." But she stressed that exceptionality cannot happen "in one’s comfort zone" and often will come about without fanfare or recognition.
"The world needs you to be comfortable with your God-given exceptionality. The world needs your life, your body of work, your efforts to be more than a declarative sentence."
Watch the full event below.
Inagural Unsung Hero Award Recipient
As part of its ceremony this week to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine named Jacqueline Hankins Berry as the med center's inaugural Unsung Hero Award recipient.
Hankins Berry works as a community engagement administrative associate at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, where she is the co-chair of the institute’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, and she contributes to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at MMI and across the med center.
The award honors an individual who serves others in their workplace or the community, provides culturally competent care for the community and is actively involved in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
In accepting her award, Hankins Berry quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."
See Hankins Berry's heartfelt and emotional acceptance in the video below.