News Release
January 8, 2022
Kevin Bryant receives Good Government Award from the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County
Kevin Bryant, co-chair of the Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee, was awarded the Good Government Award by the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County. The award is given twice a year to recognize individuals who have expanded our understanding and awareness of the importance of good citizenship, good government and our sense of community. A gift of $500 will be given to a local nonprofit of the awardees’ choosing. Bryant has selected the Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee.
Bryant received several nominations for this award. All referenced his military service, his tenure as a Riley County Police officer and the many boards he serves on. He also works informally to help reach out to community members. “He has a strong sense of the needs and concerns of many local residents whose voices are often unheard,” said Susanne Glymour of the Manhattan Nonviolence Initiative. “The result of Kevin’s efforts is simply that more people in Manhattan are motivated and inspired to participate in local government or advocacy in various ways, and thanks to him, are equipped with knowledge about how to do so.”
Nominator Lorenza Lockett highlighted Bryant’s work on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee. “Addressing our history of civil rights struggles for equal opportunity, Kevin took personal responsibility for advancing the renaming of the 17th Street in honor of the late Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.,” Lockett said. “Recognizing the impacts that a street named for a national figure of Dr. King’s stature imparts to visitors and residents, Kevin continues to advocate for additional landscape and hardscape improvements to the corridor, to educate younger generations about civil rights leadership for the challenges they will face. In short, Kevin not only speaks to good governance, he walks in pathways, takes on the challenges and makes the sacrifices that is a watermark for all to aspire to.”
Bryant strives to make government work for everyone in the community. “I feel my mission is to get people to understand that we live in this country that was built on change, and that change should be for the better for all of its citizens, regardless of race, sex or skin color,” Bryant said. “Change only comes from understanding that sometimes the system does the wrong thing for the right reason and is clouded by our perceptions of our bias; every interaction we bring uninformed baggage. The only way to change that is to be involved. Those actions only take place when there is a catalyst for change, an example to wash away the bias, to change perceptions. Empathy and understanding make change, and change only happens when we become involved.”
Bryant’s community involvements include being co-chair of the Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee, serving on the advisory board for the Douglass Community Center, the City of Manhattan Special Alcohol Fund Advisory Committee, Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice, Coalition for Equal Justice, and the Community Conversations on Race and Reconciliation.
To learn more about Bryant’s award recipient, the Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Committee, visit http://www.mhk-mlk.org/. To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County, visit https://my.lwv.org/kansas/manhattanriley-county.
