EMU Today

YPSILANTI – U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, whose district includes the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor and who has supported Eastern Michigan University in a wide variety of events and causes, has been awarded the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award.

Dingell, who served as a commencement speaker during last April’s graduation ceremonies at Eastern, was honored at the University’s annual MLK President’s Luncheon, held Monday, Jan. 21 in the Student Center Ballroom.

The award goes to people from the University or the surrounding community who exemplify the values and ideals of Dr. King.

In receiving the award, Dingell talked of the need to speak up during these challenging times, where we're in danger of being divided by fear and hatred by various forces. She noted newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's calls for women to "shake the table" in her recent Women’s March speech.

"We can choose love," Dingell told the packed ballroom crowd at EMU. "Let's all leave here and shake some tables."

The congresswoman represents the 12th District of Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives, which in addition to Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor includes much of southern Wayne County. In Congress, she serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and as a Senior Whip. Before being elected to Congress, she was the Chair of the Wayne State University (WSU) Board of Governors.

While serving in Congress, Dingell has remained deeply involved with the EMU community, including leading several suicide prevention fundraising walks and serving as the keynote speaker in the annual Digital Divas events that teach middle and high school girls about careers and topics in cyber security and related areas. 

For more than 30 years Dingell served the General Motors (GM) Corporation, where she was President of the GM Foundation and a senior executive responsible for public affairs. In her commitment to job creation, Dingell led the effort to bring the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative, a $20 million partnership designed to help create jobs and economic growth, to southeast Michigan. She is a past chair of the Manufacturing Initiative at the American Automotive Policy Council.

An active civic and community leader, she is a recognized national advocate for women and children. She successfully fought to have women included in federally-funded health research, and advocated for greater awareness of issues directly related to women's health, including breast cancer and women's heart health.

She resides in Dearborn with her husband, retired U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell of Michigan. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Services and a master’s degree in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 19,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.