In February 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pondered the progress of U.S. race relations during an address at Illinois Wesleyan University. Next month will provide an opportunity for the Twin Cities to revisit that question and celebrate those who've helped improve human relations in the community.
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie
Consider joining the Human Relations Commissions of Bloomington and Normal for the 39th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Luncheon from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, January 17. The event will be held at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center and tickets to the event are $20 per ticket or $200 for a reserved table (maximum of 10 per table).
This year's speaker will be Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie who, in 2000, became the first female elected as bishop in the 200-year history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church denomination. Among her other accomplishments Bishop McKenzie is an author and served as a advisor to President Obama on faith-based and neighborhood initiatives. In addition, she is a lifetime member of the NAACP and former National Chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
In addition, the Human Relations Commissions will award one student and one adult for contributions to the cause of bettering human relations in the community at the luncheon.
Tickets for the January 17 luncheon are on sale at Bloomington City Hall (call 309-434-2468 and Normal City Hall (call 309-434-9503).
Meanwhile, listen to King's 1966 speech (courtesy of WJBC), or read its text, at https://www.iwu.edu/news/2006/KingSpeech1.html.