GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Urban League of West Michigan celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with the 24th annual corporate breakfast at DeVos Place.
Despite the snow and cold weather 1,100 people attended the event according to Urban League of West Michigan president Eric Brown, making it the most-attended breakfast since it started 24 years ago.
Grand Rapids native Ovell Barbee, Jr. gave a keynote address after the breakfast, highlighting key moments of his life, including how he grew up in a single-parent household. Barbee says despite adversity, he continued to strive for success.
Barbee says the legacy that Dr. King left behind is not over.
“I don't think that Martin Luther King's dream has been realized yet,” Barbee said. Martin set a great vision for us, but the work is not done.”
The sold-out event, on what would’ve been Dr. King’s 95th birthday, brought a diverse group of people together from various professional backgrounds.
Barbee says though the community has made progress in many ways, some communities are still underserved.
“You have portions of the community that are not faring well as others, and because of that we need to continue to fight for justice and equity on behalf of those populations that are not thriving,” Barbee said.
Many waited in line to get a signed copy of Barbee’s new book, “The Big House,” which was released last summer. He says his book highlights key moments of his life and provides recommendations on improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
“It highlights my experience as a diverse leader, making it to the c-suite and all of the bumps along the way and the roller coaster career that I had,” Barbee said.
Brown says after seeing today’s turnout of the event, he remains hopeful for the future in realizing Dr. King’s dream.
“As I was driving here early this morning, I was a little concerned about the weather, but people show that they care about the work that Dr. King left behind for us to do,” Brown said. It was a great diverse group in our room today and you talk about energy- that gives me hope.”
Some might ask what can the world do to uphold Dr. King’s famous words, ‘I have a dream?’
“Instead of us saying Martin Luther King said, I have a dream, I want the whole community to say We Have a Dream,” said Barbee.
Brown says Urban League and the community will continue to make efforts to keep Dr. King’s legacy alive.
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