The Urban League of West Michigan honored Davenport University President Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., with the Paul I. Phillips Presidential Legacy Award at its 2026 MLK Corporate Breakfast in Grand Rapids. The 26th annual breakfast was held January 19 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.

The frigid temperatures and blowing snow in West Michigan did not keep people away from the Urban League’s yearly event held in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luthr King, Jr. and the legacy he left to work for human rights reform. The Urban League states that the Presidential Legacy Award is given to individuals “who have made a significant and lasting impact on improving the lives of others in our community through their professional accomplishments.” The award is named for Paul I. Phillips, the longtime leader of the urban League and the first Black person to serve on the Grand Rapids Public Schools Board and the first Black commissioner in the city of Grand Rapids. 

“It’s an honor for me to have Paul Phillips name associated with mine, and for our names to be associated with Dr. King,” Pappas said. “I would encourage all of us. especially future leaders, to get involved with the Urban League, to get involved with advocacy groups to support equal opportunity. That’s what the country was founded on. We are members of a community, and we have responsibilities to that community. I’m grateful for the opportunities I have had, and I am thankful for this recognition.”

The freezing temperatures and snow storms prompted the postponement of the community MLK event on the evening of January19, and the conversation on Davenport’s W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus between Pappas and the head of the NAACP, Derrick Johnson, originally scheduled for January 20. Dates for both rescheduled events have not been determined.