King dinner will be all about the music
Music will be the message at the seventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner and Celebration in Schaumburg Jan. 10, organized by the Arlington Heights-based Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations.
Rather than a keynote speaker or award recipient, this year's event will center around the music of The Soul Children of Chicago.
Composed of young people, the choir has performed around the world during the past 23 years.
"We want to remember Martin King in a different way, a little more upbeat," said the Rev. Clyde Brooks, commission president. "He loved music. He loved to clap his hands."
The gospel music group was put together by Chicago-based musician Walter Whitman. The choir has recorded five albums.
"Walt Whitman uses music as the vehicle to inspire," Brooks said.
He said he hopes many young people from the suburbs will be at the dinner to see the group's example.
The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield, 1800 E. Golf Road in Schaumburg. Different sponsorship levels are available, but individual tickets cost $55.
The annual dinner is a time when the commission traditionally assesses the progress of the past year and sets goals for the next.
Brooks said one of the commission's proudest accomplishments this year was its contract with the city of Aurora to train 400 employees of its police department in cultural competency. The hope now is to get the program certified and bring it to even more organizations.
"We were very delighted because the city of Aurora is increasingly diverse, 40 percent Hispanic," Brooks said. "We're delighted because more police departments are recognizing that it's just good business for their officers to communicate effectively with that diverse population."
One of the commission's other important roles is conflict resolution in employment and other matters. Its number of cases is increasing, but in 2007 the commission was able to resolve about 70 percent of them and keep them out of the court system.
Brooks said one of the things the commission looks at is why minorities have a difficult time finding and keeping jobs in particular fields in the area, like law enforcement.
This was also the first year of the commission's human relations conference in September, when it sought to identify ongoing problems and why both local leaders and their minority constituents fear change, Brooks said.
The King dinner itself is also seen as a significant event every year it has been held.
"The dinner is the vehicle by which we bring people together to become informed," Brooks said. "It's helped good people to show their good. We're trying to move away from the name King to his ideals, which is what he wanted."
For tickets to the Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner and Celebration Northwest, visit www.icdhr.com, e-mail to info@icdhr.com or call (847) 253-7538.