54th Annual Dr. King
Remembrance Dinner
December 2, 2023
"Dr. King: Education, the Next Battleground"
Saturday, December 2, 2023 I Black Tie Optional
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Reception 6:00 p.m. I Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Cotillion Banquets - 360 S. Creekside Drive, Palatine, IL
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright day break of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
54th Annual
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance Dinner
Honoring Dr. Timothy Killeen
Every year the ICDHR commemorates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an annual dinner. The dinner celebrates Dr. King's birthday, advance academic scholarship opportunities for deserving Chicago high school seniors and honor community and business leaders involved in carrying out the dream of Dr. King.
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The dinner commemorates the death of Dr. King and to remember and elevate his messages of justice, equality, unity and peace. He believed strongly that leaders are those who help others become great, and in doing so, they become great.
Honorary Chairs
Dr. Georges Benjamin
Executive Director, American Public Health Association
Dr. Lori Bein
Superintendent, School District 25, Arlington Heights, IL
Rev. Dr. John Alan Boryk
Chairman, Outreach Committee ICDHR
Dr. Tanjia Coleman
Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, NorthShore University Health System
Mr. Van Dukeman
Chairman & CEO, First Busey Corporation
Mr. John Eilering
Executive Vice President, Market Chairman, Busey Bank
The Honorable
Brandon Johnson
Mayor, City of Chicago
Mr. Matt Manning
Executive Vice President, Busey Bank, Board Member ICDHR
Mr. Chris Mier
President, Rosebud Strategies
The Honorable Toni Preckwinkle
President, Cook County Board of Commissioners
Dr. Avis Proctor
President, William Rainey
Harper College
Ms. Amelia White
Manager, Community Outreach, Southwest Airlines
2023 Honoree
Dr. Timothy Killeen
President, University of Illinois System
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Excellence in Leadership Honor
Presented to Dr. Killeen in recognition of his unwavering commitment to, and longevity, in promoting quality, post-secondary education to thousands of students, resulting in a positive, life-changing impact.
Mistress of Ceremonies
Ms. Regina Waldroup
Reporter, NBC5 Chicago
Musical Performance
Soul Children of Chicago
The Soul Children of Chicago community feeds the soul of every child through education, career guidance, international cultural experiences, and music.
2023 Dinner Recap
“Over the past few weeks, the Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations (ICDHR) has sent to you alerts and other information regarding the 54th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance Dinner held December 2, 2023. Given the tremendous outpouring of interest on the part of dinner attendees and th larger community, we wanted to share the results of the event with you.
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The event brought nearly 500 concerned residents, suburban mayors, legislators, educators and, business leaders together at Cotillion Banquets in Palatine. Among the attendees were Van Dukeman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Busey Bank Corporation. Our emcee, NBC 5 reporter Regina Waldroup, was absolutely superb in orchestrating an array of talent present at the event. Following the Invocation, we were electrified by the soulful voices of the Soul Children of Chicago.
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Our honoree and speaker, Dr. Timothy L. Killeen, President of the University of Illinois drew the praise of the audience when he addressed the theme of the remembrance, “Dr. King: Education, the Next Battleground”.
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Nicholas Tarleton who received the ICDHR’s most prestigious academic scholarship several years ago, traced his education progress from an early age. He expressed gratitude to the ICDHR for the scholarship that allow him to graduate from the University of Illinois and now serves as an executive with the McDonald’s Corporation. Nicholas was among the large number of young men and women that received have received scholarships from the ICDHR.
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During the program, Amelia White, an executive with Southwest Airlines, contributor of airline tickets, joined Rev. Brooks, the Commission’s chairman, in presenting awards to a number of raffle winners.
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The 54th remembrance of Dr. King ended with stirring comments from Rev. Brooks. He challenged the attendees to become more involved in their children’s education and more knowledgeable of what their children are learning and not learning in schools. He warned the attendees of the current movement to remove books on black history from American History, the growing censorship by right winged conservatives throughout the United States and the invasion of constitutional rights that focus on the rights of women and other groups throughout the country.
Rev. Brooks announced that the 55th annual remembrance of Dr. King with be in November 2024. Please watch the website for an announcement of the exact date”.