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Profile of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. against a gradient of blue clouds.

MLK Day of Reflection: Visions of the Promised Land

Event Type
Lecture
Sponsor
Student Engagement, Student Affairs
Date
Jan 19, 2022   6:00 pm  
Speaker
Kemena Brooks, Sr. Project Manager at The Community Builders
Registration
Registration
Contact
Gina Lee-Olukoya
E-Mail
golukoya@illinois.edu
Views
56
Originating Calendar
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Celebration

As we explore the legacy of service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., this year’s program will focus on the intersection of systemic racism and environmental justice.  In 1968 Dr. King led his advocacy for environmental and economic justice to Memphis in support of striking garbage workers who were poorly paid and exposed to dangerous environmental hazards.  Today, too many individuals and communities continue to suffer from environmentally unjust circumstances such as improper sewage drainage, and lack of modern and efficient utilities for water and power. 

You will hear from Kemena Brooks, Sr. Project Manager at The Community Builders, as she expands on the idea of addressing systemic racism through a conversation about equitable housing, community investment, and environmentally focused developments.

TCB is a leading nonprofit real estate developer with mission to build and sustain strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential.  In her role, Kemena leads the development of several mixed-income housing and community developments in multiple Chicago neighborhoods. Her current focus is on furthering the redevelopment of Oakwood Shores, a 100-acre transformation site in the Bronzeville neighborhood and bringing catalytic physical investments to West Side neighborhoods impacted by low life-expectancies. Kemena is also leading the development of one of the City’s first carbon-neutral mixed-income residential building in Chicago’s Loop. 

Kemena holds a Master of Urban Design from the University of North Carolina Charlotte and a Bachelor of Science with a major in interior architecture from the University of North Carolina Greensboro

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email Gina Lee-Olukoya at golukoya@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs.

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