Noted civil rights attorney to headline ‘I Have A Dream’ Unity Breakfast in DuPage County
Collaboration has been the underlying quality of his career, renowned civil rights attorney Fred Gray says.
Gray worked with Thurgood Marshall and other notable legal minds defending the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a 13-month protest against racial segregation on public transit in Montgomery, Alabama, starting Dec. 5, 1955.
Gray is widely known for representing Rosa Parks after she famously refused to give up her seat on a Greyhound bus, as well as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the victims of the Tuskegee syphilis study. He played a vital role in Alabama’s pursuit of school integration and was honored by President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022, the nation’s highest civilian award.
It’s why the former Alabama state representative will headline the 2025 “I Have A Dream” Unity Breakfast, organized by the DuPage County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Committee, to be held Monday, Jan. 20 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.
“You reminded me of why I became a lawyer in the first place,” Gray noted in a letter agreeing to speak at the event. “I am impressed with the diversity of people who are supportive of this effort; people who represent different political affiliations and religious devotions, all coming together in a common cause for the good of humankind.
“Dr. King always focused on bettering his community. It will be an honor to represent my old friend on what would have been his 96th birthday,” he said.
After a hiatus since 2018, the annual fundraiser returned to DuPage on Jan. 15, 2024 — on King’s 95th birthday. It’s among the largest MLK events in the suburbs, sponsored by Oak Brook-based Inland Real Estate Group of Companies Inc. and other partners.
Roughly 1,400 people are expected to attend Monday’s sold-out breakfast, organizers say.
“It’s incredibly energizing to witness the positive impact we can create, especially in today’s world with so much division,” said Dan Wagner, senior vice president of government relations at Inland and cochair of the DuPage County MLK Advisory Committee. “Being part of the effort to carry on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and to revitalize this community-based fundraiser is an achievement that fills us with immense pride.”
The Rev. Darius Brooks, a Grammy Award-nominated contemporary gospel music singer, will perform again this year after appearing at the 2024 event. In addition, choirs from the DuPage AME Church in Lisle and St. John AME Church in Aurora and the Naperville Youth Singers will perform.
“Dr. King understood better than anyone the significance of contributing to your community, as it nourishes the soul,” Brooks said.
Proceeds from the breakfast will support the DuPage Foundation’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Fund. The money will bolster annual grant awards from the foundation’s Community Impact grant program in the areas of health, human services, and education, with a focus on supporting DuPage County 501(c)(3) public charities that prioritize serving Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
“Dr. King’s family has endured many challenges over the years, yet they have consistently prioritized the ‘unity’ within the community,” said Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership and cochair of the MLK Advisory Committee. “He understood the strength we gain from being united as a family, and this is a message we must continue to emphasize now more than ever.”
For more information, visit dupagefoundation.org/MLKDay or contact Jessica Barr at jessica@lwcoinc.com.