The 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Banquet To Be Held This Month

The 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Banquet will be held Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5-10 p.m. at the Casino Live Hotel Ballroom, 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, Md.

This inspiring evening is the largest celebration of Dr. King's birthday in Anne Arundel County. Dignitaries attending will include U.S. Representative-elect Sarah Elfreth, Senator Chris Van Hollen, County Executive Steuart Pittman, and Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley. The keynote speaker will be New York Times best-selling author and radio host Clay Cane. The evening will honor 12 local men and women, including Maryland's first Black senator-Angela Alsobrooks, for her groundbreaking service in Maryland; Carroll Hynson, Jr., the first African American to lead departments at BWI Airport; and Comptroller Brooke Lierman, the state's first female chief fiscal officer.

The banquet will feature a special performance by well-known musical artist Scotti Preston. Tickets are $100 per person. Tickets are available for purchase at https://mlkjrmd.org/. Doors open at 5 pm- program begins at 6 pm. For more information, contact Arlene Jackson at 301-538-6353.

The banquet will also kick off fundraising for a monument honoring the legacy of the Honorable Parren J. Mitchell (1922-2007), the first African American elected to Congress from Maryland. He fought for affirmative action legislation as chair of the small business committee resulting in passage of legislation that set aside 10% of federal contracts for minority businesses. He served seven consecutive terms through 1987.

The winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. awards are newly elected Senator Angela Alsobrooks, winner of the Morris H. Blum Humanitarian Award; America Legion Cook-Pinkney Post 141 led by Commander Curtis D. Jones, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; Anne Arundel Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell, winner of the We Share the Dream Award; Annapolis Deputy Police Chief Stanley Brandford, winner of the Peacemaker Award; Naval Academy Major A. Ebony Brimhall, U.S. Marine Corps, winner of the Drum Major Award; Carol Brooks, winner of the Drum Major Award; Shirley Hicks, winner of the Wiley Bates Legacy Award; Carroll Hynson, Jr., winner of the Alan Legum Civil Rights Award; Rick Hutzell, winner of the Dream Keeper Award; Brooke Lierman, winner of the Courageous Leadership Award; Naval Academy Midshipman Sofi Stalker winner of a Drum Major Award; and Anne Arundel NAACP President Steven Waddy, winner of a Drum Major Award. 

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Program in Anne Arundel County was founded in 1988 by then Alderman Carl Snowden. Designed to pay homage to the memory of Dr. King, the program honors those whose deeds, words, and actions have helped keep Dr. King's legacy alive. The program is a reflection on the best Anne Arundel County has to offer.

Clay Cane, keynote speaker, is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, radio host, and political analyst renowned for his insightful perspectives on race, culture, and politics. His commentary has been featured on major networks, including CNN, MSNBC, and ABC. In 2017, he launched "The Clay Cane Show" on SiriusXM Urban View. Cane has interviewed a range of prominent figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Dan Rather, Beyoncé Knowles, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. His book, "The Grift: Black Republicans From the Party Of Lincoln to the Cult Of Trump," became a New York Times bestseller.

Morris H. Blum Humanitarian Award

Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks is the recipient of the Morris H. Blum Humanitarian Awards. Alsobrooks has challenged racial and gender barriers in her professional roles: In 2010, she became the youngest and first woman to be elected State's Attorney for Prince George's County. Later, she was elected County Executive in Prince George's County – the first Black woman to hold the position in Maryland. In 2024, Alsobrooks became the first Black to be elected Senator in Maryland.

Alan Legum Civil Rights Award

Carroll Hynson, Jr., is the president and CEO of Image Power, Inc., Whitman Gaming, and Carroll Hynson and Son, and recently celebrated 85 years of business in Annapolis. He was the first African American to lead departments at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and he served as deputy director of the Maryland State Lottery for 15 years before his semi-retirement. Hynson founded Image Power in 2009 and has gaming licenses and contracts in New York and Maryland. He is a member of Historic Annapolis, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, and several other organizations.  Hynson continues to financially contribute to several community/non-profit organizations.

Courageous Leadership Award

Brooke Lierman, of Annapolis, is the recipient of the Courageous Leadership Award. Lierman is the 34th Comptroller in Maryland and the first woman to be elected to one of the state's constitutional offices. She is an attorney by training, and formerly practiced as a civil rights and disability rights lawyer. Prior to her election as Comptroller, Lierman served for eight years as a member of the House of Delegates, representing part of Baltimore City. While in the House, she supported the Appropriations Committee and the Environment and Transportation Committee. As Comptroller, Lierman leads an agency of 1,200 public servants in 12 offices around the state. She has promoted government efficiency by modernizing the agency's aging IT infrastructure, and she has created an office of public engagement to ensure agency resources are shared with Maryland businesses and residents.

We Share the Dream Award

Dr. Mark Bedell, of Annapolis, is the recipient of the We Share the Dream award. Bedell began a four-year term as superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools in 2022. He regularly mentors students, discussing the challenges he faced as a youth and the relationships he developed to help him overcome those challenges. Bedell has received recognitions, including the 2023 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year from the National Alliance of Black School Educators and "Superintendent to Watch" from the National School Public Relations Association. Bedell began his education career in Kansans City, and was named to the city's 435 Magazine's Top 50 Power List as one of the most influential people to shape the Kansas City region and to The Kansas City Business Journal's Power 100 List.

Peacemaker Award

Annapolis Deputy Chief Stanley Brandford is the recipient of the Peacemaker Award. Branford served in the U.S. Marine Corps for a decade before joining the Baltimore City Police Department. He served for 28 years and retired in 2018 to serve as Deputy Annapolis Police Chief, where he instituted a cold case unit within the department. During his tenure with the Baltimore Police Department, Brandford served as the Chief of Detectives, and previously served as the Commander of the Homicide Division and Commander of the Eastern District patrol.

Drum Major Award

Naval Academy Professor Major A. Ebony Brimhall, U.S. Marine Corps, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the recipient of the Drum Major Award. Brimhall was 17 years old when the planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, and she enlisted in the Marine Corps three weeks later in tribute to friends and family she lost that day. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Brimhall's dedication to community impact began as a Midshipman and continues today through her work at the Naval Academy. As the president of the Annapolis Chapter of the National Naval Officers Association, Brimhall drives critical outreach initiatives. Her leadership extends to the classroom, where she serves as a finance instructor in the Economics Department. Brimhall's distinguished Marine Corps career includes deployments to Iraq, leadership roles in aviation logistics, and earning a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Drum Major Award

Carol Brooks, of Annapolis, is the recipient of the Drum Major Award. Brooks is a member of the Anne Arundel Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW), Inc., which advocates for Black women and girls, and supports community initiatives and local youth. As the third vice president of membership and chapter development for NCBW, Brooks has supported health, public policy, and bylaws committees as well as the National Membership and Policy and Procedures committees. Brooks also serves as the secretary and treasurer of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, Inc. This initiative promotes environmental conservation and preservation while highlighting the maritime achievements of African and African American communities. The project supports the economic success of the marine and seafood industries in the Chesapeake Bay region while supporting the preservation of Maryland's traditionally African American waterfront communities.

Wiley Bates Legacy Award

Shirley Hicks, of Elkton, is the recipient of the Wiley Bates Legacy Award. Hicks has left a 30-year legacy in her work with the Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS). Originally employed as a secretary in the Office of the Superintendent, Hicks worked through the ranks and ultimately retired as Director of Instruction for the 26 K-12 schools in Annapolis, Broadneck, and South River. Hicks broke many barriers; among those, she was the first African American secretary in the AACPS Superintendent's Office, the first African American female to be appointed principal of Andover High School and Glen Burnie High School, and the first African American appointed coordinator of business education and data processing for AACPS. Following retirement from AACPS, Hicks worked in the Office of the President of the Maryland Senate for six years.

Dream Keeper Award

Rick Hutzell, of Arundel-on-the-Bay, is the recipient of the Dream Keeper Award. Hutzell is the Annapolis columnist for The Baltimore Banner. His weekly newsletter, The Read On Annapolis, is delivered to more than 30,000 subscribers. Hutzell is the former editor of The Capital in Annapolis, and he led the daily newspaper to a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 2018 mass shooting in its newsroom. Other awards include the National Press Foundation Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award and the Caucus of African American Leaders Unity Award. Hutzell began his career with The Capital in 1987 and worked as an editor, columnist, and reporter. He left in 2021 to write a column and newsletter for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

Coretta Scott King Award

The American Legion Cook-Pinkney Post 141, located in Annapolis, and its Commander, Curtis D. Jones, are the recipients of the Coretta Scott King Award. American Legion Post 141 is more than a gathering place for U.S. veterans to swap war stories; it is Annapolis' permanent memorial to the men and women of color who served and died in wars abroad. Post 141 is committed to mentoring area youth and sponsoring youth programs, and it supports several community programs, including the county's All-Stars marching band, Boys State (a summer youth enrichment program), Safe Halloween, Christmas luncheons, youth chess program, and Christmas and Thanksgiving food and gift drives. Jones is a veteran (Gunnery Sgt., U.S. Marine Corps, Ret.), and worked on the United Airlines Flight 93 crash site in rural Pennsylvania. He received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, among other awards. Since his retirement, Jones helps veterans by volunteering with various organizations, such as Post 141, as well as other veterans organizations, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fleet Reserve Association, and Disabled American Veterans.

Drum Major Award

Naval Academy Midshipman Sofi Stalker is the recipient of the Drum Major Award. Stalker serves as the Chief of Staff for the Midshipmen Action Group (MAG). Her dedication to service is exemplified through her involvement with programs such as Mids for Kids, where she has mentored and inspired young students, and Seeds 4 Success, a local initiative aimed at empowering underserved youth. This year, as the leader of MAG's Brigade-wide food drive, Stalker mobilized her peers to help address food insecurity across the Baltimore-Washington region. Her planning and leadership resulted in the distribution of more than 9,000 meals to families in need, providing critical support to residents in Anne Arundel County during the holiday season.

Drum Major Award

Steven Waddy, of Severn, is the recipient of the Drum Major Award. Waddy is the president of the Anne Arundel County Chapter of the NAACP. He has been an Anne Arundel County Branch member for eight years, serving as advisor to the Youth and College Division, and also serving as Political Action Committee chair and as the first vice president. Waddy teaches at Garrett Heights Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore City. 

The Annapolis-based Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Inc., founded in 1988, hosts two major events each year: The first is the annual Fannie Lou Hamer Reception in October honoring woman of different racial backgrounds who have made contributions to the community. The second event is the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Dinner held in January to honor those local citizens whose leadership in civil rights has helped keep Dr. King's legacy alive. The proceeds from these events are being used to pay off the debt incurred by building the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Memorial.

The MLK Jr. Committee has successfully placed four memorials to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and in honor of civil and human rights activists in Anne Arundel County, funded by private donations. A bronze statue of King was erected at the Anne Arundel Community College in 2006 after the Committee raised more than $250,000. In 2011, the Committee dedicated a plaque and garden tribute to Dr. King's wife, Coretta Scott King, at Sojourner Douglass College in Edgewater, Md. In 2013, the Committee erected a monument in Annapolis to the Civil Rights Foot Soldiers who marched in the famous 1963 “I have a dream” civil rights march on Washington. In 2021, the Committee was the lead sponsor for the “Guardians of the First Amendment” memorial that honors the five lives lost at The Capital newspaper during a 2018 mass shooting that was the largest killing of journalists in U.S. history. The fifth memorial will be erected in Annapolis in 2025 to the memory of Rep. Parren J. Mitchell. For more information or to make a donation, write to MLK Jr. Committee, PO Box 371, Annapolis MD 21404; call 443-871-5656; or visit www.MLKJr.org.

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