For many years, Valparaiso University has observed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a time for celebrating his life and accomplishments. In addition to sponsoring a variety of educational programs, speakers, and service activities, a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award is presented annually to a group or individuals on campus who exemplify the ideals of Dr. King.

This year, as part of the MLK Day Celebration, Valparaiso University will present a new award, honoring the legacy of the Rev. Andrew Schulze, to an individual in the greater community who has made contributions to racial equality and social justice that have had a long-term positive impact throughout the region. The Andrew Schulze Award will be given from time-to-time at the discretion of the President.

The person who has been selected to receive the first Andrew Schulze Award is Hilbert L. Bradley, a long-time lawyer and civil rights activist from Gary, Indiana. In 1947, Bradley was the first African American student admitted to the Valparaiso University School of Law. At the time he began practicing law, no African Americans in Indiana served in state or local elected office. In Gary, large numbers of African Americans worked as laborers in the steel mills but were barred from management jobs there, and were prohibited from working in most other Gary businesses.

In 1957, Bradley founded Fair Share, a civil rights organization that worked to establish the political base for the election of black political officials, culminating in the election of Richard Hatcher as Gary mayor in 1967, the first African American mayor of a major city. By picketing banks, grocery stores, and department stores, Fair Share members pushed private industry to hire some of the region's first African American managers. In 1963, Bradley led the Gary contingent that marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic March on Washington.

One of Hilbert Bradley's greatest accomplishments was his role in adding people of color to Indiana's judicial bench. In 1987, only 5 of the state's 400 judges were African American. That same year, he helped to form the Indiana Coalition for Black Judicial Officials. Demonstrations at courthouses in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago, as well as the Indianapolis Statehouse, finally resulted in Robert Rucker's 1991 appointment to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Rucker currently sits on the Indiana Supreme Court, and a total of 17 African Americans judges now serve the state. Bradley himself has served as an interim judge of the Lake County Superior Court.

Last month, Mr. Bradley retired after 60 years as an attorney and civil rights activist in Gary.  Recognizing the important legacy of the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America and Valparaiso University’s active role in promoting racial equality, it is a privilege to bestow the very first Andrew Schulze Award upon the Honorable Hilbert L. Bradley (Valpo Law ’50) for his exemplary leadership and service.

Mr. Bradley and his wife, Della A. Burt-Bradley, will join us Monday morning to receive the award. I hope you will attend the MLK Day Awards ceremony and take full advantage of the wide array of excellent educational and cultural programming assembled by our colleagues on the MLK Day Steering Committee.