In a few short years, Christian Hospital’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon has become one of the premiere events as the region celebrates the life and legacy of the civil rights icon.
With each installment, the banquet hall in the Detrick Atrium Building is filled to capacity as the event honors those working to fulfill King’s dream and young people on the path to creating the Beloved Community he often spoke of.
“Christian Hospital was my first employer when I relocated to St. Louis as a young critical care nurse 32 years ago,” said 2019 keynote speaker Rev. Traci Blackmon. “Christian Hospital was a socially conscious, community-oriented health provider back then, and it remains one today.”
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the 4th Annual “Embracing the Dream” event will be a virtual experience, but inspiring nonetheless when it takes place at 12 noon on Jan. 15.
“Today in St. Louis” co-anchor and veteran KSDK-TV personality Rene Knott will serve as master of ceremonies for the program that recognizes four unsung local heroes and student scholars.
There will also be a performance from singer-songwriter Brian Owens as well as a conversation about rising above the challenges of race, injustice and exclusion, including commentary from Bryant McBride and Willie O’Ree.
McBride is the first African American class president at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Bryant worked as an analyst before becoming the highest-ranking African American executive in the history of the National Hockey League. He is the producer of ‘WILLIE,’ a sports documentary film on the pioneering hockey player Willie O’Ree.
Willie Eldon O’Ree is the first Black player to play in a National Hockey League game. He debuted with the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958. He now serves as the director of youth development for the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force. In 2018, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Following the conversation, Drum Major Award recipients will be recognized for devoting their time, talents, treasure and service in the name of justice, equity, and equality. The 2021 Drum Major Award recipients are: Adrian Bracy, CEO of YWCA Metro St. Louis; Chris Krehmeyer, president/CEO of Beyond Housing; Elizabeth Perkins, Campus president, St. Louis Community College- Florissant Valley, and Keith Williamson, president, Centene Charitable Foundation at Centene Corporation.
“These individuals have taken on Dr. King’s charge to confront injustice, change minds and change hearts and transform our world,” said Wade Rakes, Centene regional vice president, chief diversity and inclusion officer, as he addressed the 2019 Drum Major Award honorees.
“This program is the perfect opportunity to stress the continued importance and relevance of his mission by advancing initiatives that focus on addressing the holistic and diverse needs of every individual, community development opportunities to provide for the less fortunate to improve all of our lives.”
Drum Major Scholarships will also be awarded to student scholars from Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Normandy, Ritenour, and Riverview Gardens school districts; Incarnate Word Academy, Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory, Trinity Catholic and Lutheran North high schools and St. Louis Community College.
“When it becomes an expectation that every child in this community can live in a safe environment, pursue a quality education, have access to quality health care and seize the same economic opportunities and pursue the same dreams, then and only then will we be able to say our work is done,” Rakes said in his remarks at the 2019 ceremony.
“We all recognize that the work of Dr. King continues. There is still much to be done, but today we take a moment to recognize those who serve that mission Dr. King laid out so many years ago.”
Christian Hospital’s 4th Annual “Embracing the Dream” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will take place virtually at 12 noon on Friday, Jan. 15. For more information or to register for the event, visit: https://www.christianhospital.org/MLK-Celebration.
