The 13th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Countywide Celebration was held on Friday, January 17, 2014 at Hilton Garden Inn. The theme this year was, “A Future Filled with Fast and Marvelous Opportunities”. This commemorative annual event is dedicated to recognizing excellence in community service and humanitarianism by individuals and organizations in our community. The award recipients were as follows:
- Champaign County CASA – Doris Hoskins Prestigious Community Service Award
- Carmen Zych – James R. Burgess, Jr. – Susan Freiburg Humanitarian Award
- Dr. Laura Taylor – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Achievement Award
The event had over 400 people in attendance and featured musical entertainment from “Mo’ Betta Music Program” and “Jackline Madegwa.” Pastor Lekevie Johnson of Jericho Missionary Baptist Church delivered the Invocation and Benediction and Jennifer Roscoe of WCIA served as the Mistress of Ceremony.
Ms. Cheryl Brown Henderson, Civil Rights Educator, served as the Keynote Speaker. Ms. Brown Henderson is one of the three daughters of the late Reverend Oliver L. Brown, who along with 12 other parents led by the NAACP, filed a lawsuit against the local Board of Education on behalf of their children in the historic case Oliver L. Brown et. al. vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, et. al.