MLK dinner to honor former judge from Elgin
An annual Martin Luther King Jr. remembrance and celebration dinner in the Northwest suburbs will recognize Metra board member and retired bankruptcy judge Manny Barbosa of Elgin as its 2015 honoree Thursday.
Jack Thomas, the first African-American president of Western Illinois University, will be the guest speaker at the Illinois Commission on Diversity & Human Relations' 14th annual event, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15, at the Chicago Marriott Northwest, 4800 Hoffman Blvd. in Hoffman Estates.
The Rev. Clyde Brooks, president of the commission, said Barbosa was selected as this year's honoree both for his inspirational life story as well as his longtime assistance to Hispanic students seeking scholarships to continue their education.
"He was the finalist of about a dozen or so recommendations," Brooks said of Barbosa. "He's just a great guy!"
Barbosa, who recently published his autobiography, came to the U.S. as a 2-month-old when his family crossed the Rio Grande on a raft.
The family gradually moved from a cotton farm near the Texas border to Nebraska and then finally Elgin when Barbosa was 10 years old.
He not only obtained legal residency and became a U.S. citizen, but also went on to become a federal judge.
Thursday's celebration will include song performances by students from Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville.
The event also will introduce the commission's "Realizing the Dream" initiative. The introduction will take the form of a CD of eight songs that touch on the connections among the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and King's work toward helping to "form a more perfect union," Brooks said.
New Gov. Bruce Rauner originally was intended as a guest speaker - and still is promoted as such on the commission's website Tuesday - but scheduling conflicts prevented his attendance Thursday, Brooks said.
Rauner remains scheduled to be the grand honorary dinner chair for the Chicago version of the event at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, Brooks said.