Valley to Honor Seven Community Leaders for MLK Day
For the second consecutive year, Kalamazoo Valley Community College will use the occasion of its longstanding annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day program at the college’s Texas Township Campus to honor community members doing extraordinary work in the areas of freedom, justice and democracy. The public is invited to the free event.
Seven leaders will be celebrated at the 2026 Kalamazoo Valley Community College Annual MLK Beyond the Dream Celebration: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy luncheon on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Those interested in attending must RSVP by January 21. Lunch is provided.
“It was so positively received by the community last year that we felt that it was important to run it back and try the same concept of honoring local unsung heroes,” said Trice Batson, Valley’s director of diversity and inclusion. “What we mean by unsung heroes is people doing great work and that that work is — coincidentally or maybe it’s purposely — honoring the legacy of Dr. King.”
The honorees are:
- Doreen Gardner, women’s financial freedom advocate
- Ken Greschak, organizer with Indivisible Greater Kalamazoo
- Sean Harris, executive director of Recovery Institute of Southwest Michigan
- Ebony and Dontray Hemphill, juvenile justice advocates
- Stephanie Hoffman, Kalamazoo city commissioner and neighborhood advocate
- Cee Maul, community engagement specialist for the city of Kalamazoo
The celebration will feature an onstage discussion with the guests of honor over lunch and videotaped interviews of them providing insights into their personal journey of service. Each year, Kalamazoo Valley hosts a communitywide MLK Day program.
“The folks who we’ve identified are community members we think are unsung heroes,” Batson said. “It was an opportunity to honor people and to learn what is happening in the community. It is our way to elevate and illuminate the great things going on in our community.”