overview
Annual Awards and Benefit Luncheon
In 1984, the year after the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday was officially enacted, President Ronald Reagan appointed the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King and then-Governor of New Jersey Thomas Kean, to chair the King Federal Holiday Commission, which was charged with determining how the holiday was to be observed. Mrs. King's vision was to have the holiday commence each year at noon with the ringing of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia--a worldwide symbol of freedom, justice, and equality--echoed by bells throughout the world, including those in Big Ben in London and in the Vatican. At the request of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for Nonviolence, Inc. lead by the Honorable Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, was given the responsibility for this observance since the national holiday honoring Dr. King began.
Previous National Bell Ringers and Drum Major honorees have included, Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Hon. Judge Lynn Toler, Boyz II Men, Hon. Colin Powell, Hon. Edward G. Rendell, Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Melba Moore, Sisters Sledge, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Reverend Leon H. Sullivan and Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. to name a few.
It honors individuals and organizations whose deeds are exemplary of the ideals fostered by Dr. King. The luncheon is a highly visible affair, which has been attended by over 2,000 people, and has been the largest luncheon in honor of Dr. King in the country. It receives national press coverage because of the ringing of the Liberty Bell at 12:00 noon which officially inaugurates the King Holiday.
Our luncheon has also showcased a who’s who of sponsors, who support the Dream of Dr. King’s Beloved Community. Previous Corporate Host Sponsors have included, Brown’s Family Shoprite and Pepsi Bottling Company, GMAC Mortgage Corporation, a host sponsor for three consecutive years, Citizens Bank, a host and a co-host sponsor for five year and Verizon. Other major sponsors have included Amerihealth Mercy, Independence Blue Cross, Lockheed Martin, Comcast, Fedex, UPS, State Farm, Wakefern and the William Penn Foundation, just to name a few.
The Annual Awards and Benefit Luncheon and National Bell Ringing Ceremony are held each year on the King Holiday and always promises to be one filled with excitement, camaraderie and hope for the creation of a truly beloved community. It is a major source of funding for the King Association and its youth development programs.
Become a Sponsor
As a sponsor of ANNUAL AWARDS AND BENEFIT LUNCHEON, you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of those we serve. Your support will help us to expand our programs and services, reach more people in need, and make a lasting difference in the community. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
Former Drum Major honorees
2024 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Daniel Sawyer, Jr.
Esther Sawyer
2023 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Natasha Brown
Ernest Garrett
Chad Dion Lassiter
2021 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Cedar Grove Christian Academy
Share Food Program
Koren L. Parker
Captain Lisa Forrest
Dr. Ala Stanford
2020 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
MCC of Philadelphia
Michael Churchill, Esq.
Chris Woods
2019 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Laura Wooten
Samuel Staten, Jr.
Hon. Jewell Williams
2018 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Louise Moss
Lee Sanders
2017 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Dr. Arthur C. Evans
The Philadelphia Foundation
2016 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Herman “Pete” Matthews
Hon. Marian Tasco
2015 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Ernest Evans “Chubby Checker”
Hon. Edward G. Rendell
2014 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Dr. Joshua Feldstein
Charisse Lillie
Jill Michal
Hon. Nelson Mandela (posthumously)
Dean Weitzman, Esq.
2013 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Queen Mother Fattah
Kathleen Walsh
Lezlie Hiner/Work to Ride Program
2012 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Daniel J. Hilferty
Hon. Renee Cardwell-Hughes
Dr. Warren Smith (posthumously) and Rosa Lee Smith
2011 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Michael A. Rashid
Hon. Ethel Barnett
Jerry L. Johnson
Peter Neufield, Esq.
2010 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. Colleen Alexander
James Bain
Hon. Ethel Barnett
Peter Neufeld, Esq.
2009 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Thelma Arnold Smith
Hon. Lynn Toler
Audrey Thornton-Johnson
2008 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Jeff Brown
Xernona Clayton
Richard “Sonny” Driver
J. Whyatt Mondesire
Intermezzo Choir
2007 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Blanche Burton Lyles
Dr. William J. Shaw
Bishop Richard Franklin Norris
2006 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. Arlen Specter
Rev. Thomas J. Ritter
James Farmer
Rev. Robert Shine
Lisa Thomas-Laury
2005 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Mrs. Bertha Brown (cont’d)
2005 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Carl Greene
Trudy Haynes
Bilal Qayyum
Hon. LeAnna Washington
2004 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Lois Fernandez
William H. Gray, III
Dr. Edward W. Robinson
Cicely Tyson
2003 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Mr. George Gallup, Jr.
Hon. Chaka Fattah
W. Clinton Pettus
Judith Rodin, Ph.D
Ossie Davis
Sister Sledge
2002 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Ambassador Andrew Young
G. Carol Johnson
Rev. Father Thomas W.S. Logan
Hon. Gwendolyn Faison
Dr. Donald Paul Wilson
Pastor Wintley Phipps
2001 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. John F. Street
Donald “Ducky Birts
Dr. Sonia Sanchez
Community College of Philadelphia
Samuel London Evans
2000 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Dick Gregory
Rev. Dr. Sarah Potter Smith
Mother Bethel AME Church
The Philadelphia Tribune
1999 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Raymond W. Smith
Eugene and Dr. Karin Bivens
Jean C. W. Smith
Dr. Walter P. Lomax, Jr.
Father Paul M. Washington
1998 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Donn G. Scott
Veronica Joyner
Phile Chionesu and Asia Cooney
Valerie Ambroise
1997 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
George Woods
William & Liller Green
Celeste Harrington Tate
1996 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. Colin L. Powell
Hon. David P. Richardson (Posthumously)
Leona Smith
Judge Doris A. Smith
Gerald McEntee
1995 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Judge Harvey Schmidt
Dr. Niara Sudarkasa
Ann Marquess Garrott
Strawbridge and Clothier
1994 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Ann Marquess Garrott
Strawbridge & Clothier
Rev. Robert Johnson-Smith
Dr. Joyce Elders
1993 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Bernice Pree
John C. Haas
Rev. Henry Wells
Myrlie Evers
1992 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Melba Moore
Corestates Financial Corporation
Martin Luther King, III
1991 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. Onah C. Weldon
Joseph Fisher
Norman Braman
1990 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Waverly Easley
Judge Juanita Kidd Stout
Dr. Geraldine R. Segal
James Farmer
1989 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Dr. Bernard C. Watson
Dr. Ruth Hayre
Dr. Benjamin A. Hooks
1988 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Hon. Roxanne Jones
Daisy L. Bates
1987 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Rev. Leon Sullivan
Honorable C. DeLores Tucker
1986 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Bishop Desmond Tutu
1985 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Rev. Thomas J. Ritter
Mr. Harold J. Soregenti
Ms. Rosa Parks
1984 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Mr. Henry Nicholas
Bernard G. Segal, Esq.
Rev. Repsie Warren
1983 DRUM MAJOR HONOREES
Dr. Edward L. Clark
SmithKline-Beecham
