McLean County Times

At the second annual Chicago Southland Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon, Governors State University President Cheryl Green shared personal and historical perspectives with an audience peppered with dignitaries gathered at Idlewild County Club. 

“Dr. King was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life,’’ said Dr. Green to more than 200 guests celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King  at an event hosted by Victory Community Coalition, an outreach arm of Matteson’s Victory Apostolic Church. 

Noting her passion as an educator and advocate for more than 30 years, Dr. Green pointed out she and Dr. King a human rights champion who won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize,  “shared a desire to ”empower people, to uplift and to transform." 

Green’s 2023 keynote address followed a 2022 MLK inaugural luncheon where she received Community Outreach and Service Award. 

This year, awards went to:

• Matteson President Sheila Chalmers-Currin 
• Matteson Trustee Carolyn Palmer 
• CFSSB NAACP Vice President Elvis Slaughter 
• Taylor Media Publisher Michael Taylor

Themes of Dr. King’s dream and Beloved Community were woven throughout the day, along with song, scripture and poetry.  The Beloved Community  pays homage to King’s vision for justice for all people. The King Center site quotes Dr. King’s explanation: " ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’ he often said. He felt that justice … was the birthright of every human being in the Beloved Community.’ ‘’

In her speech, Green encouraged guests to continue fighting for the nation's high ideals and to remember three dates—Jan. 15, 1929, the date Dr. King was born and April 4, 1968, the date King was assassinated. "The third date is yet unknown, …it’s the date we live up to the promise of America… Together we can change the world and, together, we must.” 

Original source can be found here