Earlier this month, the Bulls honored the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the team’s MLK Game vs. the Golden State Warriors.
During its inaugural MLK Game presented by Advocate Health Care, the Bulls introduced and celebrated its third class of MLK Legacy Honorees for the 2022-23 season. Inspired by the team’s ongoing commitment to honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and supporting civic leaders working toward a more equitable and just Chicago, the program launched during the 2019-20 season.
Nominees for the Bulls’ MLK Legacy Honoree program must be Chicago residents who demonstrate a passion for achieving equity across the fields of education and health and wellness or a commitment to community investment and social justice. This year, the Bulls’ Legacy Honorees were local civic leaders who are working toward decreasing food disparities that disproportionately affect communities of color and providing mental health and educational supports and opportunities in underserved communities.
The Bulls’ 2023 MLK Legacy Honorees include –
Dion Dawson – Founder of Dion's Chicago Dream, an organization that works to create financial, physical and emotional stability in underserved communities by combating food insecurity and food deserts across the city, Dion uses nutritional philanthropy as a catalyst to build community and transform lives. As an initiative born in the heart of Englewood where Dion grew up, the organization has expanded to assist residents in need in every Chicago neighborhood through the power of fresh, healthy food. Dion was selected as a MLK Legacy Honoree due to his commitment to health and wellness, social justices and his investment in communities across the city.
Andrew Smith & Tristan Lewis – Co-founders of The Healing, an organization that creates space for Black and Brown men in Chicago to work through trauma from 2020 and explore how it can negatively impact their personal growth and development, Andrew and Tristan focus on changing the narrative around male vulnerability for men of color and normalizing emotional healing to elevate themselves and their brothers.
Amanda Garcia & Lisett Avalos – Both students at Infinity Math, Science & Technology High School in Little Village, Amanda and Lisett started a weekly afterschool peer tutoring program at their school. Throughout the year, including some weekends, the girls tutor freshmen students. Prior to them starting the program, Infinity offered a tutoring program one day a week led by one tutor to assist a group of over 20 students. Noticing the need for more frequent, personalized tutoring, Amanda and Lisett began recruiting upperclassmen to tutor after school. Now, Infinity has more than 15 peer tutors. In addition to starting the program, both girls are in their senior year of high school and taking college courses through a pre-college program offered at Infinity. Amanda and Lisett were selected as MLK Legacy Honorees for their contributions to their peers’ educational prosperity.
Britney Robbins – The founder of The Gray Matter Experience, Britney aims to educate, empower and assist students in creating their own businesses while providing them access to resources and support to ensure they know their contributions to the entrepreneurial ecosystem are both valid and vital. Through Gray Matter, Britney provides entrepreneurial programming to high school students across the county. Programming consists of a series of engaging workshops comprised of team building activities, discussions, guest speakers and engaging field trips where the students learn fundamental business concepts to help launch their idea.
Bulls’ partner Advocate Health Care generously donated to each honoree in-game to support and propel their initiatives. During the game, the Bulls also had a moment of silence in remembrance of Jon Veal – co-founder of Alt_Space Chicago and an 2021-22 MLK Legacy Honorees who tragically passed away in December.