Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) encouraged students to be committed not only to themselves but also to their communities during her keynote at “Revolutionizing the Dream,” celebrating the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
“As we remember this great man today and celebrate his birthday and his life, let’s be mindful that service is more than one day of celebrating or giving,” Adams said in her address at McKnight Hall. “It is a 24-7 job, and it must be a visible part of who you are and what you do. Service is the rent we pay for living on this earth. It’s got to be inside your soul with a commitment that far exceeds just simply being concerned.”
A near-capacity audience of students, faculty, staff and community members attended this year’s MLK celebration, sponsored by the Multicultural Resource Center.
During her visit to campus, Adams toured the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) with David Young, EPIC interim director. She also met with John Daniels, chair of the Lee College’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Associate Professor Wei Fan, principal investigator for a $7.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education at UNC Charlotte.
Adams was elected to represent North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District in 2014. She sits on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Agriculture Committee, the Small Business Committee and the Joint Economic Committee. She is the ranking member of the Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight. Founder of the first-ever Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, Adams is part of the Women’s Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Diabetes Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, Historic Preservation Caucus, AIDS/HIV Caucus, Hunger Caucus, Medicaid Expansion Caucus and the Art Caucus.