Hazelwood Preps for Annual MLK Event

The Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission will be honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and his legacy this year through women.

This year's city celebration is featuring prominent black women who have made significant contributions in the fields of medicine and music.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, January 20, at Civic Center East, 8969 Dunn Road, starting at 7 p.m.

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The keynote speaker is Brenda Battle, a St. Louis native and registered nurse. The St. Louis Business Journal named Battle “Most Influential Minority Leader” in 2008. In addition to serving on the board of the Missouri Foundation for Health, she once directed the Center for Diversity and Cultural Competence at Barnes-Jewish Hospital St. Louis. Battle currently lives in Chicago, Ill., where she serves as the Vice President for Care Deliver Innovation, and Assistant Dean for Diversity at the University of Chicago School of Medicine.

The “First Lady of Jazz,” Jeanne Trevor, will be providing the entertainment. The long-time St. Louis resident has performed in numerous musical theatrical productions at The Muny, Stages, the Black Repertory Theater, and Westport Theater.

Christopher Cross, an 8th grade student at Hazelwood Central Middle School is a member of the Hazelwood School District’s SAIL program for gifted middle school students, be presenting excerpts from King’s last public speech. Cross performed as Billy Ray, Jr., in the 2012 Black Repertory production of On Golden Pond.