Daniel White Hodge, North Park University’s assistant professor of intercultural communication, is the 2018 recipient of North Park’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
Hodge, who before coming to North Park spent 17 years working with urban youth through organizations such as Young Life and World Vision, continues to advocate for urban youth justice issues.
He’s also a recognized youth culture expert and cultural literacy scholar. At North Park and at schools including Fuller Theological Seminary, Hodge has taught classes on race and ethnicity in religion, black popular culture, and hip-hop discourse.
The MLKJ Award was created in 2017 by Jacqueline Strapp C’08, head of the Office of Diversity, to highlight those on campus who are doing exceptional work in the area of restorative justice and racial reconciliation.
Dr. Mary Trujillo, a communication arts professor, was the recipient of North Park’s first MLKJ award last year.
Trujillo and Hodge were recognized for working continuously with the community, faculty, staff, and students to “be disciplined in our demeanor in not being divisive, to continue to do better, and strive for peace at the forefront—with peace being what MLK fought for,” Strapp said.