Breakfast honors Martin Luther King's legacy

More than 550 people at the recent 16th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, co-sponsored by College of DuPage and Benedictine University heard the words of keynote speaker Kareem M. Irfan, J.D., who said lasting peace demands increased understanding of and collaboration with people of all faith.

“Expressing our caring and tolerance, and offering unwavering solidarity in times of tension and strife, is not easy, but it can and it must be done,” said Irfan, president of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago.

The breakfast, held at Benedictine University on Jan. 17, honored the legacy of the renowned civil rights leader. Part of the activities included a scholarship competition, in which three Benedictine and three COD students each received a $1,000 scholarship. All were recognized during the ceremony, including College of DuPage students Steffanee Beckley of Bolingbrook, Thomas Fairbank of Glen Ellyn and Sarah Gonzalez of Villa Park.

A frequent speaker on Islam and the perspectives of Muslim-Americans, Irfan is General Counsel for the North American Division of Schneider Electric and is past Chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which represents more than 400,000 Muslim-Americans. He earned a master's degree in computer engineering from University of Illinois and a juris doctorate from DePaul University.

During his keynote address, Irfan said that this country is blessed with a diversity of race, religion, culture, gender, age, national and regional origin.

“We need to be generous to our fellow humans and to be caring about our neighbors of all faiths and races,” he said. “We need to rest in content that we have all addressed Dr. King's lead that we learn to live like brothers or perish together like fools.”