January 19, 2007

Remembering a hero: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the nation commemorated the life of civil rights pioneer Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last week, MGHers gathered for a special breakfast celebration called "Shattering Barriers and Transcending Borders: A Tribute to the Life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." Jan. 12 in the East Garden Room. The event was sponsored and coordinated by the Association of Multicultural Members of Partners (AMMP) and was led by Shea Sherrod Asfaw, project director for MGH Strategic Planning and chair of AMMP.

The program opened with a performance of the African song "One Family" by the Voices of MGH choir. Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH, then welcomed the crowd and introduced keynote speaker S. Allen Counter, MD, (right),
an MGH
neurophysiologist and the founding director of the Harvard Foundation, which was established in 1980 by the president and deans of Harvard University to improve intercultural understanding, equality and peace among students, faculty and the
entire university community. Counter, who also is a professional explorer, recounted the story of Matthew A. Henson, who discovered the North Pole with rear admiral Robert E. Peary and was one of King's personal heroes. As an African-American, Henson was never formally recognized by the United States during his lifetime for his role in the discovery of the North Pole, and instead officially was considered Peary's assistant. Counter worked tirelessly to bring about the recognition Henson deserved and succeeded in petitioning President Ronald Reagan to have Henson's remains moved to Arlington National Cemetery. The U.S. Navy also commissioned the USNS Henson, an oceanographic exploration ship, in Henson's honor. For more information about AMMP, access www2.massgeneral.org/ammp.