First conceived as an annual celebration to commemorate the King Holiday, Realizing the Dream has become a national nonprofit organization founded by Martin Luther King III, with an global vision to carry on the important work embodied in the legacies of his parents, Dr. & Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each year, Realizing the Dream holds its annual King Holiday Commemoration and the Realizing the Dream Awards Celebration. In 2007, President William Jefferson Clinton received the first Realizing the Dream Award, which is presented to an individual or group whose exemplary efforts for civil and human rights and dignity ardently align with the vision and advances the work toward realizing the dream proclaimed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Realizing the Dream Awards
The Realizing the Dream honors five outstanding individuals, both locally and internationally, whose lives and work embody Dr. King’s dream of the “Beloved Community”. 1.
Testament of Hope – presented to an outstanding community leader or group striving to make a difference in their community despite hardships. This honoree is a testament to the hope that Dr. King’s dream is alive.
2.
Trumpet of Conscience – presented to a person or organization whose present work trumpets the commitment to effecting Dr. King’s dream in communities around the world.
3.
Drum Major – presented to an individual whose life champions the ideals established by Dr. Martin Luther King.
4.
Beloved Community – presented to a global socially conscious company whose example supports the principles of the “Beloved Community”
5.
Realizing the Dream – the highest amongst the five, presented to an individual or group whose life’s work most ardently aligns with the vision and advances the work toward realizing the dream proclaimed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Phone: 1-866-855-6286 • Fax: 404-346-7851
www.realizingthedream.org
2009 Award Recipients Realizing the Dream Award – Senator Edward M.Kennedy Drum Major Award – Congressman John Lewis Trumpet of Conscience Award – Aung Sang Sui Kyi Testament of Hope Award – Claude Black
2008 Award Recipient Realizing the Dream Award – President William Jefferson Clinton