The Mary S. Nelums Foundation recently awarded Dr. Aisha Nyandoro with the L.C. Dorsey Social Activist Award.
The award is named in the honor of Dr. L.C. Dorsey as a public act of gratitude for someone who has dedicated her life to the service of others through social activism. Nyandoro is Dr. Dorsey’s granddaughter.
Presenters said social activism is the compelling force that drives progressive change in thoughts, beliefs and attitudes based on what is viewed as fair and right for all. Lifelong social activists do not ask for the spotlight or awards for themselves, but they insist on correcting the social ills that plague our communities.
Dr. Dorsey’s life has been a working example and shows an unmistakable understanding of Frederick Douglas’ reminder in 1857 that “Power concedes nothing without demand, it never has and it never will.” As with all change agents seeking to alter the status quo, the social activists often pay a tremendous price in their personal lives, and it has been no different with Dr. Dorsey. Yet through it all, she continues the struggle and remains true to her philosophy, beliefs, and commitment to bring about social change benefitting all of society.
L.C. Dorsey was born in the Mississippi Delta and received her early education in a series of one-room schools on various Delta plantations. Her interest in the human condition began in those humble schools under the tutelage of strong Black women and loving parents who taught her to value learning as the ticket to a better life. As a high school dropout, she went back to school at age 31 to get a GED and to get her life back on track.
