Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of NAACP will join Davenport University’s annual MLK celebration at its W.A. Lettinga Grand Rapids Campus on Jan. 20. The event to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will begin at 2 p.m. with a conversation-style Q&A with Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., Davenport president It will include the announcement of the winners of the annual MLK essay contest and will conclude with a silent march around campus.

The celebration will be held in Davenport’s Sneden auditorium, 6191 Kraft Avenue SE, Grand Rapids and will be live streamed for those unable to attend in person. Click here for more information.

Johnson is a longstanding member and leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and has helped guide the association through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration.

He has served as president and CEO of the NAACP for the past eight years, previously served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, and is a former president of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP.

Under Johnson’s leadership, the NAACP has undertaken groundbreaking initiatives and he continues to be on the frontlines of some of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time. He is a veteran activist who has dedicated his career to defending the rights and improving the lives of Mississippians.

A West Michigan community event honoring MLK will take place on Jan. 19 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the historic Wealthy Theater in Grand Rapids. The 40th annual event is hosted by Davenport, Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University.

The theme of this year’s event is “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.” It will feature a panel discussion with Leadriane Roby, Pastor Jerry Bishop and Wardell Jerome Frazier, Jr. and a community conversation on unity and action.

This event will be live streamed. Click here for more information.

The Urban League of West Michigan will be holding its 26th Annual Corporate Breakfast on the morning of January 19 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. Davenport University President Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., will be receiving the Paul I. Phillips Presidential Legacy Award.

The Urban League said the award is given to an individual whose work embodies the spirit of Paul I. Phillips who was the first African American to hold an elected office in the city of Grand Rapids and spent his life in service to others. He became executive director of the Urban League in 1947. Pappas will be in attendance to receive this prestigious award.