Commending the Gary Frontiers Service Club and Honorees At the 1st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet
Floor Speech
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Mr. MRVAN. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on his legacy, we are reminded of the challenges that democracy poses to us, and the delicate nature of our civil liberties and human rights. Dr. King's peaceful protests for change remind us that we must continually work to secure and protect our freedom. In his courage to act, his humble yet strong leadership, and his ability to achieve, Dr. King embodied all that is good and true in the battle for justice and liberty.
The spirit of Dr. King lives on in the citizens of communities throughout our nation. It lives on in the people whose actions reflect the spirit of determination and perseverance that will help move our country into the future. I am honored to rise today to commend the individuals who will be recognized during the 1st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet on Sunday, October 2, 2022, at Chateau Banquets in Merrillville, Indiana.
Attorney Clorius Lay is serving as Event Chair for this celebration, following a two-year hiatus from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Memorial Breakfast, for which Attorney Lay had served as Chairman for fifteen years. The Gary Frontiers Service Club officers and members, as well as many other community members and leaders, assisted with this remarkable tribute to Dr. King each year at the Genesis Convention Center in Gary, Indiana, and I am truly grateful that the event will endure.
At this year's banquet, Pastor Reverend Charles L. Emery of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, located in Gary, Indiana, will be honored with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award for his lifetime of service to the people of his church and to the community. The Honorable Jerome Prince, Mayor of Gary, will present Pastor Emery with a ``Key to the City'' and will declare October 9, 2022, as Charles L. Emery Day in the city of Gary. President William Godwin and Vice President Tai Adkins of the Gary Common Council will also induct Pastor Emery into the Gary City Council as an honorary member. In addition, the guest speaker for the celebration is Reverend Dr. A.R. Boyd, Pastor of LeClaire Missionary Baptist Church of Chicago, Illinois.
Madam Speaker, I invite you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in commending the honorees, as well as the Gary Frontiers Service Club officers: President Oliver Gilliam, Vice President Charles Jackson, Secretary Linnal Ford, Financial Secretary Melvin Ward, and Treasurer Floyd Donaldson, and all members of the service club for their initiative, determination, and dedication to serving the people of Northwest Indiana.
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