40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service & Awards, January 16

Monday, January 16, 10:30 a.m.

Presented by the Martin Luther King Center, 630 Ninth Street, Rock Island IL

With this year's theme inspired by the Civil Rights leader's famous quote "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle," Rock Island's Martin Luther King will host the virtual presentation of the 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service & Awards on January 16, an online event boasting a variety of performances and presentations in honor of Dr. King, plus the awarding of two scholarships.

Emceeing the presentation will be KWQC-TV anchor and reporter Redrick Terry, a Quad Cities native who graduated from Rock Island High School in 2013. Terry studied Broadcasting at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where he also covered several sporting events in addition to news. This year's keynote speaker is Dr. LaDrina Wilson, who was last year named CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Wilson was the CEO of Iman Consulting and the Chair of the Chamber's Board prior to the announcement, and has twice served as the vice president of student services at Black Hawk College. Over an 11-year span, she has held various roles at Eastern Iowa Community College, including dean of students, assistant director of enrollment and customer service, admissions officer, and academic advisor, and Wilson earned a Bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University, a Master's in Education from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Iowa State University.

In addition to performances and the awarding of scholarships, the January 16 event -- supported by grants from the Rauch Family Foundation and the Quad Cities Community Foundation -- will feature the bestowing of the “I Have A Dream” Award, presented to a Rock Island citizen for exemplary community service and enormous contributions made to the community. The award is named after the iconic speech given by Dr. King at the Great March on Washington, an historic event held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. Its purpose was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans, and at the march, the day's final speaker Dr. King, while standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in which he called for an end to racism. Regarding Dr. King's oratory, noted author and historian Jon Meacham wrote, "With a single phrase, King joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who've shaped modern America". The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of public address, with The Independent citing it as having "a strong claim to be the greatest in the English language of all time."

The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service & Awards will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the national holiday of Martin Luther King. Jr. Day, viewing of the January 16 event is free, and a recording of the program will be available afterward on the Martin Luther King Center's Facebook page, Web site, and YouTube channel. For more information, call (309)732-2999 and visit MLKCenter.org/events.