Ryan names Dr. Eva M. Doyle Buffalo's first 'Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizen of the Year'

Submitted by the City of Buffalo Office of the Mayor

Mayor Sean Ryan announced he selected Dr. Eva M. Doyle as the City of Buffalo’s first-ever “Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizen of the Year,” a new annual honor established by the Ryan administration to mark Dr. King’s birthday and recognize a Buffalonian whose life’s work reflects King’s enduring values of service, education, justice and community leadership.

As part of the recognition, Ryan also proclaimed Jan. 16, 2026, as “Dr. Eva M. Doyle Day” in the City of Buffalo.

“Dr. Doyle has spent her life educating, uplifting and challenging our community to better understand both our history and our responsibility to one another,” Ryan said. “Her work reflects the very best of Dr. King’s legacy – a belief that education is power, that truth matters, and that lasting change is built through service to others.”

Doyle has spent more than three decades using education as a tool for empowerment in Buffalo and across Western New York. She holds a master’s degree in elementary education and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Buffalo State University, and has taught generations of Buffalo Public Schools students while lecturing widely on African American history for schools, civic institutions, faith organizations and community groups.

That educational mission extends beyond the classroom. Doyle is the creator of “Eye on History,” the longest-running column on African American history in the region, first published 47 years ago in The Challenger and later featured in The Buffalo News and several national outlets. She also hosted the “Eye on History” radio program on WUFO 1080 AM and 96.5 FM, Western New York’s only Black-owned and -operated radio station.

Following the Tops massacre on May 14, 2022, Doyle emerged as a trusted voice on local and national media, and helped organize the citywide porch light tribute on the first anniversary of the attack. She has also created more than 100 essay contests for Buffalo youth and adults, founded community awards, and established the Romeo Doyle Muhammad Scholarship in memory of her late husband, a Korean War veteran.

Doyle’s contributions have earned her more than 100 honors, her portrait on Buffalo’s Freedom Wall, and ongoing recognition for a lifetime dedicated to education, truth and service.

The “Martin Luther King, Jr. Citizen of the Year” honor will be awarded annually to a Buffalonian whose life’s work embodies King’s commitment to justice, education, service, and the pursuit of a more equitable community.