UC Honors Martin Luther King Jr. at 32nd Annual Ceremony

The UC Medical Center and The Health Alliance, in conjunction with the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater Cincinnati and Vicinity, will hold the 32nd annual Memorial March and Ceremony to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thursday, Jan. 15.  The memorial march will start at 11 a.m. from the Kresge Auditorium lobby at the UC Medical Sciences Building (231 Albert Sabin Way, E Level) and proceed to Dr. King’s monument at the corner of Reading Road and Martin Luther King Drive. A memorial ceremony will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m., following the march, at Kresge Auditorium. The theme of the ceremony is “Bridging the Gap.” The events are free and open to the public.

“We have selected ‘Bridging the Gap’ as the theme for this year’s memorial to emphasize the work that must continue to ensure equal access to housing, education, employment, health care and a host of other resources,” said Tonya Huggins, director of diversity for the Health Alliance. “As institutions of education, health care delivery and worship, we recognize that Dr. King’s message is consistent with our respective missions.”

Ken Hanover, president and chief executive officer of the Health Alliance; Rev. Dr. Calvin Harper, president, Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater Cincinnati and Vicinity; and William J. Martin II, MD, Christian R. Holmes professor and dean, UC College of Medicine, will serve as Grand Marshals. Kenneth Davis, MD, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, will serve as Master of Ceremony, and Christopher Smitherman, Cincinnati City Council member, will be keynote speaker.

Two Spirit Awards will be presented during the ceremony. These awards are given to individuals from the Cincinnati community who have taken on responsibilities above and beyond professional and personal interests, who have raised community awareness on a variety of issues, developed solutions from within the community in a positive manner and sustained that effort over time. Gwen L. Robinson, president and chief executive officer, Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, and Mark N. Goldman, Senior Rabbi, K.K. Bene Israel/Rockdale Temple, are this year’s Spirit Award recipients.

The 32nd Annual MLK Scholarship Awards, sponsored by UC Medical Center and the Health Alliance, will also be presented at the ceremony. Scholarships will be awarded to three UC or Health Alliance employees whose actions in the areas of social justice, social change and humanity have served to foster the guiding principles and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The purpose of the scholarship is to sponsor the scholarship winners’ attendance at educational programs that focus on advancement of intercultural understanding and activity, promotion of conflict resolution through peaceful means and improvement of interpersonal/intergroup relations.