History of the MLK Jr. Birthday Celebration
CELEBRATING AND INSPIRING
Dr. Jacquelyn M. Belcher, president of Georgia Perimeter College, initiated the annual Georgia Perimeter College Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration in 1996.
GPC's MLK event simply inspires people. Whether it is Danny Glover performing an awe-inspiring interpretation of the poetry of Langston Hughes, jazz violinist Ken Ford knocking out an electrifying version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain," Congressman John Lewis reliving his precious moments with King or the audience singing, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," GPC's MLK celebration never fails to lift spirits. It is an award-winning event, one of the premier MLK celebrations in the country.
In addition to Glover and Lewis, past celebrations have included actors James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad; poet Maya Angelou; director Spike Lee; Judge Glenda Hatchett, journalist Juan Williams, Felix Justice, former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume, Russell Simmons, urban entrepreneur, Dr. Benjamin Carson, world renowned pediatric neursurgeon, and Ben Vereen, Emmy award-winning actor.
Each year the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra performs before and during the ceremony. Other talent typically includes music by gospel choirs, such as this year's mass choir. Last year's dynamic soloist, Crystal Harris amazed the audience. Previous emcees include Lisa Rayam of Fox5 News, CNN's Sachi Koto and Xernona Clayton, President and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation.
The MLK celebration is an award-winning event: GPC received the Golden Award from the National Association of College Auxiliary Services for its leadership and contribution to the community in producing the annual program.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Journalist Juan Williams, delivering the keynote address in 2000, captured the essence of GPC's MLK birthday celebration when he said, "If you truly want to celebrate Dr. King's birthday, make a difference."
Each year the celebration includes the Georgia Perimeter College Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, presented to a corporation and an individual for outstanding community service. Past corporate recipients have included Arnold Fund, Wachovia, Scientific-Atlanta, Acuity Brands Lighting, UPS, DeKalb Medical Center, Chick-fil-A, Inc., AT&T, Turner Broadcasting, St. Joseph’s Mercy Care Services and Kroger Food Services.
Individual recipients include The Honorable US Senator John Lewis, Earl and Carolyn Glenn, Timothy C. Tuff, Cathy Henson, Rodney J. Carroll, Dean Alford and Miles E. Bagwell, Jr., The Honorable Maynard Jackson, W.R. “Max” Carey, Reverend C.T. Vivian, Ed Butchart and Wendolyn Norris. In 2007 a student Humanitarian Award was added. The first recipient was Terry Fowler.
In conjunction with the event, the college recruits volunteers among faculty, staff and students for service projects with community service organizations on King's birthday. In 2007, GPC is partnered with First Book, a national nonprofit literacy organization who has distributed more than 35 million books to children in Atlanta and other communities throughout the country.
During a previous celebration, Dr. Belcher introduced the "Lost Boys of Sudan." These young men only a few years earlier wandered as children in the wilderness of Sudan, orphaned by village massacres in a brutal civil war. Now many of them attend Georgia Perimeter College. After the ceremony, one of them remarked, "This was the greatest night of my life." You can't attend the GPC MLK birthday celebration year after year without thinking it is making a difference.
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