Dr. Angela Guy-Lee, honored with the Spirit of MLK Award, discusses her passion to challenge racial misconceptions and push others to engage in the difficult but necessary work of fighting for equality.
By Mikaila Bluew
Dr. Angela Guy-Lee, an associate professor at Delta College, was awarded the Spirit of MLK Award on Jan. 20 during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Union Luncheon. The event, presented by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the Delta College Black Faculty and Staff Association, celebrates individuals who embody Dr. King’s legacy of social justice and service.
The Unity March and Luncheon took place at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw, with this year’s theme, “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence.”
“Oh! I am honored and grateful to the members of the Black Faculty and Staff Association for selecting me,” Guy-Lee says.
Dr. Guy-Lee has taught at the Saginaw Academy of Excellence since 2022. The program allows high school students in Saginaw to earn college credits early, giving them a head start on their education.
She also developed a course for Delta’s police academy, “Race: A Social Construct,” which examines race’s role in U.S. society and addresses misconceptions about race. Guy-Lee is keenly aware of the gaps in education surrounding race and social justice and aims to teach what high school textbooks often overlook.
“When we were all children, our parents loved us, right, and would correct us because they wanted us to be the best people we could possibly be,” Guy-Lee explains. “I don’t think you have to worship your country with blind obedience, because if you love this country, you want the country to be the best it can be. The only way that’s going to happen is if you honestly evaluate what has happened and what is currently happening.”
Guy-Lee believes that striving to understand how race has shaped history, and continues to impact the present, is essential for advancing social justice in the U.S.
She encourages people to challenge preconceived notions about race and to recognize that race is not a biological reality but a social construct that has evolved over time.
“I will say I focus on the spirit of Martin Luther King, who was for social justice, a revolutionary. He was a person who spoke truth to power and was willing to literally put his life on the line to try to make things better for others,” Dr. Guy-Lee said. “So that’s the spirit of Martin Luther King that I focus on, not the ‘I have a dream,’ right, because what do you do with that? What actions can you take, right?”
Guy-Lee’s message was clear: the fight for equal opportunities begins with small, individual actions, whether within families or communities. By embracing individual responsibility for change, she believes society can take meaningful steps toward achieving true equality.
