‘TRUTH, LIGHT AND HOPE’ WILL UNITE THE SARASOTA COMMUNITY AT THE 2023 REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST AND COMMUNITY AWARDS
SARASOTA, FL – The Sarasota MLK Celebration Committee is hosting the 42nd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast and Community Awards at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, January 16th. The breakfast will be held at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex located at 1845 34th Street.
“The Committee is always excited to celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy with the Sarasota community,” states Sarasota MLK Celebration Committee President Jetson Grimes. “Each year, we pay homage to his dream when we gather together in honor of his great works and recognize the achievements accomplished by people and businesses in our community.”
This year’s honorees are Jaida Cunningham (emerging youth award), Sarasota Police Department Chief Rex Troché (public service and safety), Sandra Kay Daniels and Gregory Rumph (education), Renee James Gilmore and James Hill (media), and Bay First Bank (community service). Jaida is a senior at Riverview High School and participates in several school, community and church activities. She plans to attend college after graduation and major in Sports Medicine. Chief Troche was appointed Chief of Police for the Sarasota Police Department in April 2022. He leads a department of 190 sworn law enforcement officers and 61 civilian support personnel and is the department’s first Hispanic Chief of Police. Daniels has been a teacher at Booker Middle School since 2004 and was named Teacher of the Year for the 2010-2011 school year. She began her teaching career Emma E. Booker Elementary School where she was the host teacher on September 11, 2001 when former President George W. Bush visited the school.
Rumph began his educational career in 2000 as a visual arts teacher at Booker Middle School in the Visual Performing Arts magnet program (VPA). He is currently an Assistant Principal at Booker High School and oversees the VPA program. He is also a prolific artist, graduating from the prestigious Ringling College of Art and Design majoring in Illustration. Gilmore is the producer and host of ABC7’s ‘Empowering Voices’. She began her career as a journalist and worked at ABC7 immediately after earning a communications degree at Florida A&M University. She earned an MBA degree from Clark Atlanta University and transitioned from broadcasting to leading national multibillion-dollar business and government initiatives. Hill joined WWSB-TV ABC 7 in March 2022 and is the ABC7 Weekend News Anchor/MMJ. He is an award winning journalist and is nationally known for his work as the first ever Weekend Sports Anchor & Digital Sports Editor for The Black News Channel Network (BNC).
This year’s keynote speaker is Associate Rabbi Michael Shefrin of Temple Emanu-EL in Sarasota. In addition to Temple Emanu-EL, Rabbi Shefrin leads various missions and efforts to eradicate hate against communities based on their color and spiritual beliefs. This past February, as president of the Sarasota-Manatee Rabbinic Association, he was one of the influential community leaders who engaged in a Sarasota community rally to unite against hate after antisemitic fliers were found on homeowners’ lawns. A Los Angeles, California native, Rabbi Shefrin was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in May 2016.
Advance tickets to the breakfast are available for purchase on Eventbrite (https://2023mlksrqbreakfast.eventbrite.com/). Individual tickets are $30. A table of eight is $240 and a table of 10 is $300. Seating is limited due to venue capacity. ticket purchases are unavailable on the day of the event. For questions or additional information, contact Cynthia Howard at 941-724-4205.
2023 Sarasota MLK community celebration events:
Sunday, January 15, 2023 – Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr at Temple Emanu-El, located at 151 McIntosh Road in Sarasota. The tribute starts at 2 p.m. and features music by the Soul Sensations. Program participants include Rev. Charles McKenzie and Lonnetta Gaines. There will also be a memorial service to remember the victims of the 2015 shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Register for this free event online at sarasotatemple.org. Donations are gratefully accepted. For additional information, contact Don Malawsky at 941-359-2890.
Monday, January 16, 2023
· Unity and Historical Walk to immediately follow the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast and Community Awards at 11 a.m. Transportation will be provided. The walk will start at the Robert L. Taylor Community complex and travel south on Osprey Avenue to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It will continue to travel west on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and end at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at 2523 Cocoanut Avenue.
· The MLK Music Fest will be hosted at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Guests will enjoy live music performances and assorted merchandise and soulful cuisine prepared by local vendors.
Saturday, January 21, 2023
· Community Health Care at Goodwill Manasota Job Connection located at 1781 Dr. Martin Luther King Way in Sarasota, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prostate testing, blood pressure, etc.
· Alpha Phi Alpha Foundation of Manasota, Inc.’s 20th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Benefit Dinner / Dance at 7 p.m. inside the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, located at 7650 Legacy Blvd in Lakewood Ranch.
