NJPAC Celebrates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Keeping the Dream” Honoring Gloria Hopkins Buck, LCSW & Ryan P. Haygood, Esq.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will observe Rev. DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. with NJPAC's annual Celebration, "Keeping the Dream" on Saturday, January 14th at 5pm. This private presentation will honor two distinguished members of the Newark Metropolitan community who take action and live the words of the great Rev. DR. Martin Luther King Jr. making a difference in the community where they work and live. This year's honorees are Gloria Hopkins Buck, LCSW who will receive the "Steward of the Dream" award and Ryan P. Haygood, Esqwho will be the recipient of the "Visionary of the Future" award. The celebration will include a special performance by NJPAC's Jazz for Teens and the Grammy Award winning Jubilation Choir who under the leadership and tutelage of Rev. Dr. Stefanie Minatee has released six albums.

NJPAC has celebrated Rev. DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy for the past twenty years paying tribute to one of the most inspiring leaders of the 20th century through live performance and arts education. Dr. King's quest for unity, through triumph of the human spirit allows people to better absorb and reflect upon the significance of one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time.

On March 27, 1968, Newark was one of the last places where Dr. King made a public appearance prior to his assassination in Memphis eight days later. NJPAC's mission is to engage New Jersey's diverse population and to convene ongoing civic, social, cultural, and intellectual exchanges.

"NJPAC and its partner, the Newark Branch of the NAACP, present the Visionary of the Future award each year to an individual whose work and deeds reflect the principles of Dr. King's dream," said Donna Walker-Kuhne, NJPAC's Senior Advisor of Community Engagement. "Ryan Haygood, who has lent a vital and wise voice to public forums at the Arts Center in the past, truly exemplifies a leader who shines a light in his tireless pursuit of racial justice."
NJPAC's Rev. DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is held in cooperation with the Newark Chapter of the New Jersey NAACP and is sponsored by the PSE&G Foundation.

About Gloria Hopkins Buck, LCSW
Ms. Buck worked over 30 years with Newark Public Schools as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. After retirement, she worked for two years as a Public Relations Consultant for a Newark firm. She is founding member and former President of First Friday Group, Inc.- a corporation designed to facilitate networking and socializing among African American entrepreneurs and professionals.

Ms. Buck has served as a Trustee at the Newark Museum, Founding charter member and Chairperson for The Newark Museum's award-winning Newark Black Film Festival, She was appointed by Gov. Thomas H. Kean to the Literacy In The Arts Task Force, she has given 25 years of service as a VP and member of the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, she was founding member of the Board of Director, NJ Coalition of 100 Black Women and served as Vice President of Arts and Culture, she was on the board od governors of trustees for the New Jersey State Opera, she was the appointed Commissioner of the Newark Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission for 3 years by Mayor Sharpe James in 2003.

Gloria Hopkins Buck has committed a lifetime to working tirelessly in areas that affect the quality and dignity of lives. She has accomplished this through years of leadership and serve to community, arts, cultural, professional and educational organizations primarily located in the Newark Metropolitan Area. Ms. Buck lived in Newark for 45 years; she is a graduate from Howard University with a B.A. degree and received a Master's Degree of Social Work from Rutgers University.

About Ryan Haygood, Esq.
One of the nation's leading civil rights lawyers, Ryan Haygood became the third president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (the "Institute") in 2015. In this role, he leverages his national expertise to advance the Institute's cutting-edge work in empowering urban communities where residents of color are connected to full-time, meaningful jobs, have access to affordable housing and the democratic process, and are treated fairly by the criminal justice system. Prior to leading the Institute, Haygood served as the deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc. (LDF), where he worked for more than a decade. At LDF, Haygood litigated some of the most important civil rights cases of our time. In two of those cases, he defended a core provision of the Voting Rights Act, widely regarded as one of the nation's greatest pieces of civil rights legislation, before the United States Supreme Court.

A passionate advocate, Ryan speaks and writes regularly on issues concerning race, law, civil rights, and democracy. He is frequently interviewed by media outlets, including: MSNBC, CNN, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. Prior to joining LDF, Ryan was a litigation associate in the New York office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP, and was a recipient of the prestigious LDF/Fried Frank Fellowship. At Fried, Frank, Ryan represented clients in a variety of complex commercial and civil rights matters before federal courts. Ryan received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law and B.A. in American History and Political Science cum laude from Colorado College, where he was nominated for the Rhodes scholarship and earned academic and athletic All-American honors as a football player.

NJPAC
One Center Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
www.njpac.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722)

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