This year’s keynote speaker will be Terra Fox Williams, president and CEO of YWCA Dayton. She has also served as Public Health — Dayton and Montgomery County’s director for the office of Health Promotion, supervising the Bureau for Maternal and Child Health; Women, Infant and Children; the local office on Minority Health and more.
“We’re excited to have Terra Fox Williams as our speaker, as her work throughout her career has focused on making an impact on marginalized communities,” Hawkins said.
Awards for recipients of the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Award and the Springfield Diversity Champion Awards will also be announced.
The Diversity and Inclusion Award recognizes leadership in diversity by honoring the individual or organization who have implemented innovative strategies to promote the development of skills to meet the needs of a multicultural society.
The Diversity Champion Award, presented by Clark State and the Greater Springfield Partnership, will recognize a business in the community that believes in and supports diversity and inclusion in their workplace, and one who brings awareness and ensures inclusion is an everyday reality.
During the luncheon, the My Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper mentoring program will collect donations in the lobby. Details regarding the requested items will be included in the reservation confirmation email.
The Springfield My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper Chapter is a partnership between the Springfield City School District and The Conscious Connect, Inc., with programmatic support provided by The Ohio State University Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, AmeriCorps Vista, the Obama Foundation, and a host of local Black men and women that serve as mentors.
“This event is important for the community as it is a true indicator of Dr. King’s lifetime work coming to fruition,” Hawkins said. “It’s an event that builds and uplifts the community, as there’s opportunity to learn, honor, and partake in fellowship together.”
This event is also supported by The Springfield Foundation, Mercy Health and CareSource.
The annual MLK luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12, at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center, 275 S. Limestone St. The event is free, but reservations are required by the close of Wednesday, Dec. 20, and seating is limited. Virtual options are not available for this event, and reservations will not be accepted at the door. To make a reservation online, visit https://bit.ly/MLK-RSVP-2024.
If you or your organization have any Martin Luther King Day events, please email them to sns-local@coxinc.com.
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