Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been commemorated with several celebrations throughout the Chicago area.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition, for example, has an annual breakfast.
On Monday morning, the 34th annual Martin Luther King Scholarship Breakfast with PUSH For Excellence was held at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago.
The PUSH Excel King Scholarship Breakfast generates funds for college scholarships. It also awards honors for leadership and advocacy. Former Bulls player Joakim Noah was among those recognized.
Reverend Jesse Jackson helped start PUSH Excel, which is backed by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Many local leaders, community people, and companies from the surrounding area attended the breakfast. It was a day to envision the future.
“If we don’t save our children, we don’t save our future, and our future is now. We save our children so we can give them a right to education which is a great equalizer,” said Tyronne Stoudemire with PUSH Excel.
“Save our children” was this year’s message. The event offered a chance for many kids in the program to show off their talent in front of those like Jackson and Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“It makes me feel like I am a phenomenal Black boy,” said 7-year-old Bradley Holt.
Holt, 7, said he wants other kids to have that type of unflinching confidence. It’s a monument to Rainbow PUSH, which has collaborated with groups such as the United Negro College Fund to make dreams come true.
“They’re the reason UNCF does its work, so we can make sure they have the opportunities to go to college,” said Fred Mitchell with the United Negro College Fund.
There, it’s about continuing King’s standard of excellence and the goal for 13-year-old Christiana Gray of, one day, becoming a lawyer.
“People need to know that you can change the world, so whenever I get to do that, it’s just I get so happy. It’s like a life goal, I would call it my assignment,” Gray said.
She says changing the world is an assignment she wants every little Black girl to have.
“Know your history, know that you are loved, be confident and join Rainbow PUSH,” Gray said.
