State of Georgia’s 36th Annual Celebration of Service presented by Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council January 15, 2021 • 12:00-1:30 PM Georgia State Capitol • Ceremonial North Wing Page 1 Program Welcome & Introductions Ms. Deirdre Haywood-Rouse & Mr. Demarius Brinkley Presentation of Colors & Remarks from the Speaker of the House Pledge of Allegiance Honorable David Ralston Georgia State Patrol Honor Guard Georgia House of Representatives Trooper Mar’Kevious Thomas Musical Selection United States National Anthem Ms. Kelly Goodson Ms. Kelly Goodson Award-Winning Singer and Songwriter Award-Winning Singer and Songwriter Keynote Address Invocation Monica Kaufman Pearson Pastor Andrew Momon, Jr. Legendary Atlanta News Personality Victory Church Midtown, Atlanta Remarks from Legislative Black Caucus Governor’s Presentation Sen. Tonya Anderson Honorable Brian Kemp Chair, Legislative Black Caucus 83rd Governor, State of Georgia Reflection Ceremony Remarks from Lieutenant Governor Honorable Geoff Duncan Special Awards Ceremony 12th Lieutenant Governor, State of Georgia MLK Advisory Council John Robert Lewis Rev. Joseph E. Lowery Lifetime Achievement Award Civil Rights Award Mr. Charles Alphin Ms. Helen Butler Rita Jackson Samuels Ambassador Andrew J. Young Founders Award Humanitarian Award Ms. Nellie Duke Ms. Sherry Frank Parting Comments Benediction Sen. Emanuel Jones, Chairman Pastor Andrew Momon, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council Victory Church Midtown, Atlanta Please adhere to COVID-19 protocols. Social distancing is encouraged, and complimentary masks are available for all guests. Page 1 Keynote Speaker onica Kaufman Pearson is the first She serves on the Board of Jurors for Mwoman and first person of color to the prestigious Peabody Awards at anchor the daily evening news in Atlanta the University of Georgia and as board where she worked for 37 years. In that member emeritus of Meals on Wheels time, she won nearly as many Southern Atlanta. She has also served on the Regional and local Emmy Awards for Executive Leadership Council and on her reporting, anchoring and interview the American Heart Association National shows. Upon retiring from Communications and Marketing WSB-TV, she was honored on Committee and was the first the floor of the U.S. House African American and second of Representatives by the woman to serve as Chairperson bipartisan delegation of the of the United Way of State of Georgia for her years Metropolitan Atlanta. She was of service to the citizens of also the first woman to serve as Georgia on and off the air. President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Since retiring in 2012, Ms. Pearson has completed a Ms. Pearson has been inducted master’s degree Magna Cum into the National Association of Laude from the University Black Journalists Hall of Fame, of Georgia Grady College the University of Kentucky of Journalism. She has also Journalism Hall of Fame, been conferred honorary the Georgia Association of doctorates from institutions Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the including Clark Atlanta and Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame, Oglethorpe. the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Hall of In addition to writing a column for Fame. Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Southern Seasons quarterly magazine and Leadership Honor Society, presented teaching at Atlanta Metropolitan State her its 2018 Pillar of Leadership Award, College, she continues to be a sought-after Celebrating Excellence in Communications. emcee and motivational speaker. Since That same year, the Atlanta Dream 2014, she has freelanced at KISS 104.1 FM presented her with the Pat Summitt and hosted a public affairs show. Inspiring Woman Award. In 2019, she was inducted into the Trumpet Foundation She is one of three hosts of the Emmy- International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in nominated Georgia Public Broadcasting Atlanta and was named the 2019 Woman show, A Seat at the Table, and in recent of Purpose by the United Way of Greater years has become a radio and television Atlanta. spokesperson for businesses and institutions. She is a proud life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and serves in Ms. Pearson is a native of Louisville, Ky., the Kappa Omega Chapter in Atlanta, the a graduate of the University of Louisville, oldest chapter in the state of Georgia. She and a participant in the Summer Program is also a member of The Junior League of for Minority Groups at Columbia University Atlanta. Graduate School of Journalism. Early in her career, she worked for the Louisville She is married to John E. Pearson, Sr. and Times newspaper and WHAS television in is the mother of Claire Patrice Deveaux Louisville. and stepmother of John E. Pearson II. Page 2 Charles L. Alphin John Robert Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award The John Robert Lewis Lifetime Achievement Award, named in honor of the civil rights leader and 17-term Congressman from Georgia, is given annually to a extraordinary public servant in recognition of their career-long commitment to support equality and education for all. harles L. Alphin, Sr. has served Since his retirement from the King Ccommunities across this nation and Center, Mr. Alphin has worked as a Senior around the world in as many ways as Trainer and spokesman with LaFayette & you can imagine; often times working Associates, an organization started by Dr. with people in danger or at their most Bernard LaFayette, Jr. who served on the vulnerable. Executive Staff for Dr. King and trained Mr. Alphin in the philosophy After he received his and methodology of Kingian Bachelor of Science in Law Nonviolence in the late 1970s. Enforcement and Criminal Corrections from Northeast He has trained at-risk youth Missouri State University, and other students, gang Mr. Alphin served as a law members, local educators, enforcement officer for nearly college professors, community three decades in St. Louis, leaders, clergy, law enforcement Missouri, during which time and correctional officers all he held positions of patrol across the United States, the officer, detective, juvenile Caribbean, Central and South officer, sergeant, platoon America, Europe, the Middle lieutenant and captain. During East, and Africa. the last 10 years of his career, he was Commander of units In 1994, he spent four months that included Homicide, Child Abuse, and in South Africa and assisted in training Narcotics. nearly a quarter-million South Africans in voter education and nonviolent resistance. In 1992, after retirement from the St. One of his highest honors was to witness Louis City Police Department and at the the historic South African election and request of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Captain inauguration of President Nelson Mandela. Alphin and his wife moved to Atlanta to work at the Martin Luther King Center for He and his wife Joyce still reside in Atlanta Nonviolent Social Change, Inc.. In 1994, he and are the proud parents of two adult was promoted to Director of Education children. and Training for the King Center. Page 3 Nellie Duke Rita Jackson Samuels Founders Award Recipient The Rita Jackson Samuels Founders Award, named in honor of the trailblazing equal rights advocate and businesswoman, is given annually to an exceptional individual or organization in recognition of their commitment to empowering women in business and in the community. ellie Dunaway Duke is committed to to found, like West Georgia Women’s Npromoting women and supporting Forum, Carroll County Veterans Memorial the underserved families in communities Park, the Atlanta Women’s Network, and of Georgia and across the Southeast. Her Women’s Information Network. professional work experience includes sales, marketing and interior decorating One of Ms. Duke’s most recent for JC Penney and Sears, achievements is as the but the native of Rome, Founding Chair of Georgia Georgia, has spent most of Women’s Institute, where her life serving others: as a she serves as President and Youth Counselor with the CEO. She has served also First Methodist Church, as many years in the NAACP an activities director with aiding in the integration of Carroll County Recreation Carroll County and supporting Department, as well as being underrepresented populations a field representative with the to run for political office locally American Cancer Society. and statewide. In the 1970s, Ms. Duke was Ms. Duke has won numerous Area Coordinator for ERA Honors and Awards including Georgia, and she continued the Mamie K. Taylor Georgia to lobby locally, statewide and nationally Business & Professional Women’s Club’s for health, education and women’s rights Award, Georgia AAUW Leadership Award, during the 1980s and 1990s, when she was Georgia Legislature’s 25 Women for appointed to the Georgia Commission on the 21st Century Award, and the Turner Women by Lieutenant Governor Pierre Broadcasting Company’s Super 17 Award, Howard in 1992, and the President’s among others. Commission on Women in American History in 1999. An annual Nellie Duke Scholarship has been established by the Georgia Woman Since 2002, Ms. Duke has been on the of the Year Committee in recognition Advisory Board of the US-China Cultural of her selfless dedication to those in & Educational Foundation, and since need. Ms. Duke and her late husband 2006 has served on the Advisory Board William Henry Duke have five grown for the Women’s Leadership Exchange. children, 10 grandchildren, and three great She also serves on the board of other grandchildren. organizations; many of which she helped Page 4 Helen Butler Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Civil Rights Award Recipient The Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Civil Rights Award, named in honor of the iconic minister and founding member of the SCLC, is given annually to an outstanding individual or organization in recognition of their unwavering advocacy for leadership development in the fight for civil rights. ou may not immediately recognize Atlanta with satellite offices in Savannah, Ythe name Helen Butler, but you Augusta, Macon, Albany, LaGrange, undoubtedly know her work — and if you and Athens.