On Thursday, we hosted our annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, which commemorated Dr. King’s life and vision. This year’s program was shifted to a fully virtual format due to the increase in COVID-19 cases.
As a nation, we have made progress thanks to the work of Dr. King and others, but we have a long way to go to achieve Dr. King’s dream.
The theme for our celebration was Hope in Action: The Fierce Urgency of Now, and it featured our keynote presenter, Diane Bell-McKoy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Associated Black Charities. Her message was clear. We cannot rely on the legacy of Dr. King. Each of us must get in action to dismantle systemic racism.
This year we added a new challenge, the MLK Children's Contest, which called on the creativity of the children of our employees, volunteers, and contractors to help us recognize and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Children submitted their poems, drawings, short stories, or any original creation that helped us recognize the contributions of Dr. King. The winners were:
First Place: Paige Lynn Morgan (employee: Tracie Schwoyer-Morgan, Palliative Medicine)
Second Place: Anna Boblooch (employee: Stephanie Boblooch, Cleft Palate Program)
Third Place: Zion Graves (employee: Shannon Graves, Perinatal Services)
Congratulations to all who participated!
I am grateful to Lisa Walker, our Chief Diversity and Learning Officer and to my colleagues on the Diversity and Inclusion Council and to those on the planning committee for putting this event together. And thanks to all who participated in the virtual event.
You can click here to view the recording of the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration.
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