Glendale's
2009 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day
Luncheon and
Promoting
Inclusiveness Award 2009
On Friday, Jan. 16, 2009, the city of
Glendale’s Diversity Committee proudly presented the 2009
Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Luncheon, featuring Kweisi
Mfume, former U.S. Congressman and President/CEO of the NAACP.
Each year, on the third Monday of
January, the life and the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
are celebrated. Glendale honored this great man and his ideals
with a luncheon that acknowledges the value of diversity, the
progress made toward freedom and equality for all people and
continued efforts to strengthen communities across the nation.
As one of the state’s premier
celebrations of Dr. King’s life and the ideals his name so
symbolically represents, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity
Day Luncheon demonstrates Glendale’s commitment to create a
society that is more just, peaceful and understanding.
About
Kweisi Mfume
Kweisi Mfume has been an active leader
in the civil rights struggle for many decades. As a congressman,
Mfume became one of the most well-known African American
politicians in Washington, D.C. Believing that he could achieve
more for civil rights by working for the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Mfume eventually
left Congress to become president of the organization and
currently consults.
Promoting
Inclusiveness Award Winner 2009 -
Dr. Matthew Whitaker
According to city
information, In 1963, during his Strength to Love speech, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “The ultimate measure of a man
is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Dr. King’s message still rings true today, and the Glendale
Diversity Committee honors this by recognizing each year someone
who embraces these ideals with the annual “Promoting
Inclusiveness Award.” This year's winner, Dr. Matthew
Whitaker, was honored at the Glendale Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Unity Day Luncheon.
Dr. Whitaker is an
award-winning scholar, teacher, activist and emerging voice
among public intellectuals in the United States. Professor
Whitaker is associate professor of history at Arizona State
University in Tempe, where he is also an affiliate of the
African and African-American Studies Program and the School of
Justice and Social Inquiry. Dr. Whitaker is a highly
sought-after writer, speaker and consultant.
