Aurora’s 39th annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Ceremony as we answer questions at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Calvary Church, 9S200 Illinois Route 59.
The ceremony will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King with youth performances, community awards, and special guest speakers, 17-year-old Ph.D. graduate Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II, DBH, and award-winning actor, Tyler Lepley.
- After earning her bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College at age 12 and her master’s degree from Unity College in Maine at age 14, Dorothy Jean Tillman just completed her PhD in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State University. Dorothy Jean is the founder and CEO of the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute in Chicago and Capetown, South Africa. She is determined to inspire youth and to provide pathways for the next generation.
- Best known for his popular roles on Tyler Perry’s The Have and the Have Nots on the Oprah Winfrey Network and in Harlem on Amazon Prime, Tyler Lepley attended Kutztown University on a football scholarship. With his professional football dreams deterred, Lepley graduated with a criminal justice degree. After being discovered in a Los Angeles gym, he found a new dream of acting, and the star is determined to make an impact on the industry and the world.
The 2024 Service Above Self Award is bestowed upon students in middle school, high school, or college who honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and his commitment to community service, justice and equity.
Awards will be presented during the 39th Annual Aurora MLK Ceremony.
Nominations were open for youth who:
- Dedicated a significant amount of time serving others;
- Have demonstrated a focus on fairness, justice, and equity;
- Go above and beyond to make community better;
—City of Aurora government