More than 40 years after Martin Luther King Jr.sI Have a Dreamspeech, his voice is ringing out louder than ever.

And today, West Virginia University is looking for that Mountain State resident who shares that voice to embody the mission and ideals of the slain civil rights leader for the 21st century.

WVU s Center for Black Culture and its Martin Luther King Jr. Programs Committee are now accepting nominations through Dec. 3 for the Universitys annual MLK Achievement Award, which will be presented Jan. 21 on the morning of the national holiday that bears his name.

This will be the awards 18th year at WVU . The program committee is made up of University staff, Morgantown leaders and local community members who represent churches and other outreach endeavors across the state.

That mix, Center for Black Culture Associate Director Todd McFadden said, couldnt be more appropriate to the spirit of the award. Nominees must have a proven background in service work that represents Kings ideals of courage, compassion community and coexistence, he said.

It could be through a single courageous act or stand on behalf of the powerless or needy,McFadden said,or through a pattern of good works to better the community, wherever that community may be. Were looking for that person who brings an aspect of the dream to the waking world.

Past winners include Joan Browning, a Greenbrier County writer and activist who defied the social norms at her tiny hometown in Georgia to worship at a black church and become a member of the famedFreedom Ridersbrigade in the early days of the Civil Rights movement.

The nomination form may be downloaded athttp://cbc.wvu.edu/martin_luther_king_jr_programs. The mailing address is WVU Center for Black Culture, 590 Spruce St., P.O. Box 6417, Morgantown, WV 26506 -6417.

For more information, contact McFadden at 304-293-7029 ext. 110. He can also be reached by e-mail at todd.mcfadden@mail.wvu.edu .