DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COLORADO HOLIDAY COMMISSION

Denver

News: Dorothy Rupert, Fabby Hillyard and Ken Weil, whose involvement with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission dates back to its start, were among those honored when the commission presented its 2024 awards during the Colorado Symphony’s Jan. 9 concert honoring the slain civil rights leader.

Rupert, 97, was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1986 and later served in the state Senate until 2001, when she was term-limited out. She was one of the key players in the fight to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a Colorado state holiday.

Rupert also served two terms on the Thornton City Council and spent over 25 years as a teacher and guidance counselor in the Boulder public schools.

A fifth-generation Colorado native, Hillyard served under founder Wilma Webb on the original Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission planning committee, helping to expand holiday programming to include the Business and Social Responsibility Luncheon, the Martin Luther king Jr. Humanitarian Awards and the Denver Marade, which is one of the largest events of its type in the country.

Hillyard also served the city of Denver as director of the Mayor’s Office of Art, Culture and Film, deputy director of General Services and director of Theatres and Arenas during Wellington Webb’s tenure as mayor.

Weil, the co-founder and principal at Social Impact Solutions, was the first executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission. He also chaired former Gov. Bill Ritter’s election campaign and served as Ritter’s deputy chief of staff for policy and initiatives. In his role at Social Impact Solutions, he provides consulting support to Justice for Black Coloradans in its efforts to advance a racial justice agenda.

Other honorees were:

Kappa Housing, Inc., which provides affordable housing for low- to moderate-income level seniors. The award was accepted by Larry Williams, chair of the Kappa Housing board.

LaDawn Sullivan, who has spent 27-plus years as an influencer, innovator and coalition builder in philanthropy. She is the executive director of the Black Resilience in Colorado Fund, which has granted $2.7 million to 170 nonprofit organizations that focus on racial justice and capacity-building services, programs and assistance. Both her grandmother, the late Ruth Denny, an educator and civil rights leader, and mother, former Denver County Court Judge Dianne Briscoe, are previous award recipients.

Gregory Moore, former editor of The Denver Post who recently co-founded KLOWTIFY, a Colorado-based media services company. Moore’s credits also include being a Hearst Visiting Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder and executive editor/pioneering editor in chief at The Expert Press, a Canadian content agency that works with top executives to create expert commentary published in U.S. media outlets.

Dr. Regina Richards, vice chancellor of diversity, equity, inclusion and community engagement at the University of Colorado Anschutz Campus. There, she has founded multiple programs that include mentorship for first-generation students and the University of Colorado Organization for Racial and Ethnic Support.

Zoe Murphy-Elwood, an East High School graduate currently pursuing a degree in pre-medicine at Xavier University, where she is sophomore class president and is a Peer Dean to incoming first-year students.

About the organization: The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission was formed not only to pay homage to the slain civil rights leader but to educate Coloradans about King and his efforts to ensure equality for all.

Website: drmartinlkingjrchc.org

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