To honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, members from PAH’s six Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) workgroups joined together to host a special virtual celebration filled with songs, poetry, and messages of hope. Led by Karen Alkire, a quality and training specialist, and chair of the DEI Education workgroup, the virtual program featured several employees.
“Dr. King represents many of the qualities and aspirations we hope for in ourselves,” said Michael Altman, Nursing Data & Project Coordinator, and contributor on the event’s planning committee. “In a time where hate and conflict seem to be on the rise, it is ever more important to embrace his messages of inclusion and love.”
Anesthesia technician Tracy King opened the event singing the gospel song “Take Me to the King,” playing over a montage of Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center’s Anti-Racist Coalition members, who helped coordinate the program. CEO of PAH Theresa Larivee followed with opening remarks, commending PAH staff for embracing Dr. King’s passion for service by joining DEI workgroups and creating projects through the Penn Medicine CAREs grant program to support the health and well-being of the community.
Reverend Carla A. Jones Brown, the first African-American woman to serve as senior pastor in Arch Street Presbyterian Church in its 167-year history, was a keynote speaker, offering words of encouragement for how to stay resilient and grounded amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Closing the celebration, patient care technician Jamillah Muhammad recited her poem titled “The Time Is Now,” detailing the need for unity among all people and accepting each other’s differences: “My skin is my armor, but your hateful words may destroy it…We will learn to love the uniqueness of our design.”
Staff were also encouraged to make donations to Hall-Mercer’s supplies drive, distributed to their community members experiencing housing insecurity. Staff donated coats for adults and children, bed sheets, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, educational toys, gift cards, among other household items.