MLK Unity Breakfast to feature daughter of historic Brown v. Board of Education plaintiff

Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, will give the keynote address at the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at the University of Washington Tacoma on MLK Day, 8 a.m., Monday, Jan. 20 in William W. Philip Hall.

Brown Henderson’s father, along with 12 other parents led by the NAACP, filed a lawsuit against the local Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas, on behalf of their children in the historic case Brown vs. Board of Education.  This year marks the 60th anniversary of that landmark Supreme Court decision that declared “separate but equal” unconstitutional and began the integration of the public school system, forever changing the educational landscape in America.

Brown Henderson currently serves as president and CEO of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research, which she founded in 1988. She is the owner of Brown & Brown Associates, an educational consulting firm, and has an extensive background in education, business, and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state, and national boards. Additionally, she has nearly two decades of experience in political advocacy, public policy implementation, and federal legislative development. She is also an associate with the Westerly Group, a public advocacy firm in Washington, D.C.

Under Brown Henderson’s leadership, the foundation successfully worked with the U.S. Congress to establish the Brown vs. Board of Education National Park in Topeka. The park opened in 2004 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision. It is located in Topeka at the site of one of the four formerly segregated African American schools.

Brown Henderson has been a sixth grade teacher, university guest lecturer, school guidance counselor, and state educational administrator. She is past chair of Women Work, a national network that represented some 15 million women nationwide who were seeking career assistance and employment in non-traditional fields.

The breakfast will feature the presentation of this year’s Dream Awards, recognizing a UW Tacoma student organization and a community member or organization that consistently addresses diversity, social justice and civil rights. Gospel group Jerusalem’s Gate will also perform.

Since its debut in 2007, the MLK Unity Breakfast at UW Tacoma has grown into a popular community-wide event. Space is limited to the first 300 paid participants, and people are encouraged to pre-register.

UW Tacoma and the Black Student Union present the breakfast in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast
Monday, Jan. 20, 2014
8 to 10:30 a.m. (Doors open at 7:30 a.m.)
William W. Philip Hall, UW Tacoma, 1900 Commerce St., Tacoma

Advance tickets: $15 for general admission, $10 for UW Tacoma student admission and $5 for children age 10 and younger. All tickets are $20 at the door, space permitting.

Reservations and more information: www.tacoma.uw.edu/mlk