The Elgin Human Relations Commission and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee have set two celebrations honoring the life of Dr. King in a special commemoration for the 25th Anniversary.
Residents and guests of all different faiths are invited to honor Dr. King on Saturday, Jan. 16, at an annual prayer breakfast at Elgin Community College’s University Business Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Recipients of past MLK Humanitarian Awards will be honored in recognition of the 25th anniversary year – including Ronald O’Neal Sr.— a recognized Elgin educator who recently passed away. He was the first African American administrator for School District U-46 and served in numerous volunteer capacities throughout the City, including working as co-chair of Elgin’s 150th Anniversary Commission.
The breakfast will also feature keynote speaker Pastor Dexter K. Ball, founder of Faithwalk Harvest Center in Carpentersville. Mayor Ed Schock will also speak and recognize this year’s Humanitarian Award winners from throughout the community. Humanitarian Awards
honor those who best represent Dr. King’s teaching of peace and tolerance in the categories of housing, civil rights advocacy, education, business and industry, religion and community relations. The program will also feature musical entertainment. Prayer breakfast tickets are $15 and can be purchased at City Hall, 150 Dexter Ct.
The celebration then continues at the Hemmens Cultural Arts Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. Various entertainment groups from Elgin and other communities will honor Dr. King through song and dance with the program also including art and essay awards and scholarship presentations. The Dr. King celebration at the Hemmens is free.
For more information, contact Cherie Murphy, Marketing Officer for the City of Elgin, at (847) 931-5667.