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Caption: Viola Parker Diversity Award winners (l-r) Rev. Tim Stutts, Community; Lillie Brown, Student; and Candy Putnam, Employee
The annual Viola Kimbrough-Parker Diversity Awards were presented on Wednesday evening at Mitchell Community College’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration program. The awards recognize a Mitchell student, a Mitchell employee and a community member who have made a difference in promoting diversity in Iredell County. Kimbrough-Parker was a former long-time College employee who contributed to the spread of diversity at Mitchell.
Lillie Brown received the Student Award. Brown delivered a presentation to a Mitchell African American culture class about her personal experience with African-American history in the South. She spoke about her grandfather’s encounters with slavery, her father’s experiences with racism during the Great Depression, and her own struggles with segregation during the civil rights era. She is active in the community and serves as a member of the Iredell County Museum, is a motivational speaker, and an illustrator of children’s books.
Candy Putnam received the Employee Award. Putman serves as director of the English as a Second Language program at Mitchell. Students in the program represent over thirty different countries and works to understand their cultural differences. She supports “international parties” where students share native food, dance and music. Putnam has made improvements to teaching methods and materials and created higher standards for students and instructors. These changes has resulted in increased student retention and increased the student’s performance. She has formed partnerships with community organizations including Mi Familia, Goodwill, and the Housing Authority.
Rev. Tim Stutts received the Community Award. Rev. Stutts is senior pastor at Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville. He has led the church to be purposeful about diversity awareness. The church has an international partnership with N.B. Mills Elementary School which is one of the most diverse schools in Iredell County. They provide goods and services for the school’s backpack program and host a weekly Good News Club. The Hispanic Baptist Mission of Statesville meets at Front Street and reaches Hispanics from all over the region through multiple ministries. Rev. Stutts and his wife Dionne are the loving parents of two adopted multi-race children.
The program included a panel discussion on the “Past, Present and Future: Looking at Mitchell Community College in Light of Dr. King’s Work” moderated by Dorothy Woodard. Panelists were adjunct instructor Rogelio Calvo, academic advisor Mamie Houston, attorney Alison Maddux, and former mayor John Marshall.
The event was organized by the College’s Diversity Enrichment committee.