Philadelphia Martin Luther King Association for Non Violence:31st Annual Awards and Benefit Luncheon

The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence held its 31^st annual luncheon at the Philadelphia Downtown Sheraton Hotel on January 21, 2013. It is held annually to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence Inc., was founded by the Honorable Dr. C Delores Tucker and a group of local leaders in 1983, 17 years after the assassination Dr. King.

Dr King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, knew that Philadelphia held a special place in her late husband’s heart and thought it fitting to have a permanent organization dedicated to his ideals of peace and freedom in the City of Brotherly Love

The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence is the only affiliate  commissioned by the late Coretta Scott King and the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. The last office Martin Luther King Jr. opened before his assassination was here in Philadelphia. It was given to him by William Tucker, the President of the Board of directors of The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence, Inc.  The last fundraising gala “Stars for Freedom” was held at the Spectrum in 1967 and was chaired by C. Delores Tucker.

The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence is dedicated to the mission of peace justice and equality fought for by Dr. Martin Luther King. They have fought for the ideals, philosophy and teachings of Dr. King and have sought to propagate them through education, the media and any positive progressive methods that will aid in the understanding and fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream. 

The purpose of this luncheon was two fold. One it was to garner financial and moral support for the College For Teens program. Two it is to award, a special award and award the drum major to four worthy recipients in the areas of education and youth development; Legendary Spiritual Leadership; Youth Community Development and Youth History Making Achievement.

The College for Teens program is designed to provide year round academic reinforcement, counseling tutorial assistance and mentoring to Philadelphia’s struggling secondary students. The author is aware that this is a Marxist Leninist newspaper before we began to speak of bourgeois decadence we must remember one of the basic tenets of our political philosophy entails maximizing the potential of each and every working person. This is in the interest of each and every working person. If it is in their interest it is moral. Besides education is the key to the fight back. The more we educate working class youth the better that American society will be. 

The special award recipient for this year was Dr. Joseph Ginyard who received along with other fellow African American Marine Corp veterans a Congressional Gold Medal for being the first African American Marines to serve. Dr. Ginyard is the Pastor of Calvary Gospel chapel.; Executive Director ,Wise Choice Ministries; and a Board Member, The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence,Inc.

The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence,Inc. 31^st Annual awards luncheon also honored four other persons Elder Charles Cheatham ;Queen Mother Falaka Fattah; Kathleen Walsh and Lezlie Hiner for the Work to Ride Program..

Elder Charles Cheatham is the recipient of the Drum Major For Legendary Spiritual Leadership. He is the former president, Allegheny East Conference, Seven Day Adventist(SDA). He was also Department Director of the Allegheny and Allegheny East Conferences. He served on the staff  at Pine Forge Academy as Public Relations and Development Director and he has been a pastor/evangelist. Elder Cheatham is a former board member of The Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non violence, Inc. In 2008, Elder Cheatham hosted the Association’s College for Teens Program on the Allegheny East Conference Headquarters and Academy for three weeks. He allowed the use of the Academy facilities and the assistance of staff to prepare inner city youth, struggling in academic areas, for the new school year.

 Queen Mother Falaka Fattah , the recipient of the Drum Major For Youth Community Development is the Founder and Director of the House of Umoja. She studied writing at Temple University. Queen Mother Falaka Fattah is an urban youth consultant specializing in violence prevention form gang warfare. Fighting against housing discrimination, Falaka walked the picket lines side by side with her brother , the late Carl A. Brown. Not wanting to carry a “slave” name both she and her husband, David took the last name Fattah in the late sixties. In 1968, a journalist, Queen Mother Fattah , had founded a publication, UMOJA Magazine. Readers of UMOJA Magazine wrote letters to the editor asking why children living in Philadelphia killed each other. In response, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah assigned her husband, David Fattah to research the issue of gang violence. During the course of the inquiry David Fattah discovered one of his six sons was a gang member. In an effort to save their son’s life Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and her husband David Fattah, took the bold step of inviting the gang to become a part of their family. With a promise to keep them alive and out of jail, the Fattah home became the House of UMOJA boys town, and initially operated for three years without public or private support. In 1970 they incorporated as a non-profit organization. The House of UMOJA is now an internationally acclaimed organization dedicated to positive youth development, reducing violence and abusive behavior. The House of UMOJA also has improved the quality of life for economically disadvantaged urban male youth and their families. Its comprehensive program provides a positive living environment for boys ages 15-18 who unfortunately lack a sufficient family structure. It operates on the principle of the extended family. The House of UMOJA currently serves males ages 15- 18 who primarily have been chronically truant and are referred by Philadelphia Department of Human Services.

Kathleen Walsh is the recipient of the Drum Major for Education and Youth Development. She currently holds bachelors and master degrees in education and has been teaching full time for twenty years. In 2009, Ms. Walsh introduced Engineering to the Association’s College for Teens Program. At first , she offered her services and provided supplies to the program at no cost to the Association and participants in the program. In the summer of 2009, she and her daughter, Sarah Saltz, subsequently introduced a hands-on Engineering component to the College for Teens which was held that year at the Community College of Philadelphia, West Philadelphia Regional Center. To inspire children’s interest, excitement and pursuit of the science, technology, engineering and math fields, Ms Walsh founded Youth Engineering and Science, Inc. She uses volunteer professional teachers and works with rising high school juniors and seniors to mentor them and give them leadership opportunities in her program.

Lezlie Hiner and the Work to Ride Program are the recipients of the Drum major for   Corporate Social Responsibility. Lezlie Hiner, Executive Director of “Work to Ride” is enamored with horses. When she was old enough to work she got a job and her first horse. She is  in horse racing. She has worked in racetracks throughout the U.S. and England.  It was through her friendships with Ray Lane Nottage and partners that the idea of an equestrian program for youth at risk began to take shape. In 1994 the Work to Ride program was born. “Work to Ride (WTR) is a 501 c3, non profit community based prevention program that aids disadvantaged urban youth through constructive activities centered on horsemanship, equine sports and education. The program is housed at Chamounix Equestrian Center, located in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. This setting provides a unique opportunity to bring urban youth in contact with animals and nature. WTR is designed as a long term program for 7 to 19 year old youth who must commit to a minimum of one year of participation.” It is expected most will remain until high school graduation.  Some have received help with college enrollment and most have chosen to return to Chamounix to mentor.

Working class people must fight a moral struggle. They must act in their own interests. They must insure education for themselves and their children “by any means necessary.”