Muslim leader to speak at Benedictine’s King breakfast

Sometimes it’s a CEO. In other years, it might be an academic. This time it will be a community leader.

Yet there is one value that connects the men and women who speak at Benedictine University’s annual Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, which is also organized by College of DuPage.

“The thread that ties it all together is celebrating diversity, and that says a lot in itself,” said Denise West, Benedictine director of community development.

On Monday, Jan. 17, roughly 500 people are expected to attend this year’s breakfast in Lisle, which will feature an address by Kareem Irfan, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. The group represents more than 400,000 Muslim-Americans.

Irfan, an intellectual property and information technology lawyer, frequently discusses Islam and the perspectives of Muslim-Americans and will present his speech “Forging Unity Out of Our Diversity and Differences.”

The event will be followed by breakout sessions for 90 minutes.

“We do try and mix it up each year to feature different phenomenal people, both in and outside the community,” West said.

Proceeds from the $25 tickets for the breakfast will benefit the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund at both Benedictine and College of DuPage.

But the giving will continue after the event, too.

West said Benedictine President William Carroll believes the holiday should be an “on day and not an off day,” which is why the schools will host a day of giving from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. after the breakout sessions.

Volunteers will help with blood drives and nonprofit groups such as Locks of Love, which benefits cancer patients, and Giving DuPage.

The breakfast, the breakout sessions and the day of giving are meant to compliment each other, West said, in an effort to continue King’s legacy of promoting understanding.

“It is meant to inspire and motivate and encourage,” she said. “We want this to help give an insight into other people’s situations, lives and circumstances.”