Black Student Association receives ‘Global’ award for its Civil Rights Forum event

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Members of the Penn State School of International Affairs Black Student Association (SIABSA) received the “We Are Global” Award at the Penn State Global Student Leader Awards Dinner on April 22, 2025. The award recognized the SIABSA for its efforts in organizing the “One Voice, One Vision: Civil Rights Forum” earlier this spring semester.

“We are honored to receive the We Are Global Award, which inspires us to continue pushing boundaries and striving for greatness in everything we do,” said Jeferson Tenorio, a 2025 master’s candidate at SIA and outgoing president of SIABSA.

“I have a passion for social justice and human rights, and am committed to amplifying various voices to solve current issues,” Tenorio added. “Equality is not a destination but a bridge that connects humanity.”

In addition to the SIABSA, the “We Are Global” Award recognized the Pan-African Organization and Black Graduate Student Association for their collaborative work in helping to organize the forum. The School of International Affairs (SIA) also provided significant support to the student organizers.

The “One Voice, One Vision” forum, held at the end of February as a culmination of Black History Month, engaged the Penn State community in a timely discussion of civil rights. The event featured guest speakers Dr. Isaac Newton Farris Jr., who is the nephew of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a Senior Fellow of the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and Dr. Babs Babatunde Onabanjo, president of the A.D. King Foundation. Farris Jr. and Onabanjo delivered the forum’s keynote addresses and participated in panel discussions.

Topics addressed in the various sessions included "The Ongoing Evolution of Civil Rights and its Significant Impact on Today’s Society" and "Civil Rights in the Crosshairs: Navigating the Trump Era." In their addresses, Farris Jr. and Onabanjo emphasized the importance of collective action, organized movements, and nonviolence.

Alura Winfrey, a 2026 master’s student at SIA and incoming BSA president for 2025-26, accepted the award, along with Tenorio, at the Penn State Global Student Leader Awards Dinner. She said that the forum was a meaningful and insightful experience, as the speakers drew upon modern-day movements and connected them to the overarching topics of civil rights and civic engagement.

“The comparison Dr. Farris Jr. and Dr. Onabanjo drew between contemporary protests, such as Black Lives Matter and the Israel-Palestine protest, to Kingian nonviolent protesting was not only insightful but provided a challenging, yet fruitful way to think about how we mobilize and the messages it sends,” Winfrey said.

In addition to the work of SIABSA, the forum was co-sponsored by the A.D. King Foundation and Black Empire Business Group. Co-sponsors within Penn State included the African Studies Department; Black Law Students Association (BLSA); College of Education; College of the Liberal Arts; Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA); Penn State Global; Student Affairs; and the School of International Affairs (SIA).

SIA provides an innovative education for the next generation of global leaders through its professional, hands-on, and interdisciplinary Master of International Affairs degree program. Its faculty includes internationally recognized scholars and seasoned former officials who focus on practical, experiential learning to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and global perspective to make a difference in the world. SIA graduates shape policies, drive innovation, and foster understanding across cultures. Learn more at sia.psu.edu.