Congratulations to CHRC’s Executive Director, Dr. Ericka King-Betts (red coat in the picture below), on being voted the next Vice President of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition is a volunteer organization that was founded in 1978 and has planned the City of Cincinnati’s annual commemorative programs for over 30 years.

Signed into law on May 2, 1975, Senate Bill 18 declared the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the state of Ohio. The first proposal for a statewide holiday honoring Dr. King came from the Cincinnati Human Relations Committee, and numerous area legislators were instrumental in the bill’s passage. Among them were the late state Senator William R. Bowen; State Representatives James W. Rankin; William L. Mallory and James T. Luken; and Warren Pate, then of the Ohio AFL-CIO. The first community observance of the holiday was planned by the staff and officers of the YWCA.

For more information about the Coalition please visit the website: http://www.mlkcoalition.org/