The Marshall News Messenger October 25, 2018 Wiley College's Steve Miller receives ASHOKA fellowship Reverend Steve Miller, founder of US-CLO, the United States Christian Leadership Organization, recently received an ASHOKA fellowship, given to leading social entrepreneurs around the world. Past honorees include CNN correspondent, Van Jones; Wikipedia founder, James Wales; and Kailash Satyarthi, the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Individuals must be nominated and must have identified a large-scale social problem that they are actively solving and scaling. Miller, an evangelist and minister from Henderson, was among 11 2018 awardees who exhibit leadership, creativity, vision, and the ability to motivate others to join in making social change. In launching US-CLO, he birthed the "HBCU Truth and Reconciliation Oral History Project", an initiative that tackles the ever-present hot bed issues that encompass institutionalized racism through a lens of love and compassion. ASHOKA recognizes the self-sacrifice of social entrepreneurs. The $150,000 award is endowed personally to the recipient. Miller, an adjunct professor at Wiley College and former corporate banker, is married and is the father of two. Award announcements were made in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 22, 2018. Miller's first official presentation of his work to the nation occurs March 2019 in Chapel Hill, NC. ASHOKA cited Miller's contributions as: "Equipping diverse religious leaders to address racial trauma and healing in their ministries across the county by leveraging unique story-sharing alliances between historically Black colleges and universities and the Black church." The "HBCU Truth and Reconciliation Oral History" project directed by US-CLO, includes seven Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities. They are: Wiley College, the title sponsor, joined by Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, Southwestern Christian University, Jarvis Christian College, Huston-Tillotson University, and St. Philip's College. Baylor University, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the City University of New York round out the diverse sphere of participating institutions. Miller has coordinated and won legal actions at the Federal court level that were the stimuli for rewrites of discipline policies designed to stem the tide of incarceration rates among children of color. However, the work of US-CLO, Miller says, is to supplant the more than enough laws written on the books, with those laws that will be written on our hearts, and it is through a changed heart, not laws, that will ultimately bring God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven." US-CLO's heart to heart chronicling of racial discrimination narratives impacts and fosters healing at the personal level and reconciliation at the national level, as well as informs policy changes within the political environment and spiritual changes within the ecumenical one. The US-CLO model emanates from the grassroots -- common person's perspective. US-CLO employs the biblical account in Exodus to demonstrate God's activation of compassion and healing from being heard. Further, his work through US-CLO, will serve as a healing source, which the United States and its current racial environment so desperately need. Miller holds a B.S. in Political Science from Texas A&M University; a B.S. in Finance from the University of Houston; a Master's in Commercial Real Estate Development through the Graduate School of Finance at Mays Business School, Texas A&M University; and a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX. He believes proclaiming the gospel of racial healing and reconciliation to be the cornerstone of his ministerial calling. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/