APPLETON, WIS. — Justice Louis Butler, the first African-American to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, will deliver the keynote address at the 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Monday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lawrence University Memorial Chapel. The theme for this year’s event is “For the Common Good — Is King’s Dream Still Relevant Today?”
The celebration, co-sponsored by Lawrence and the organization Toward Community: Unity in Diversity, is free and open to the public. A sign language interpreter will be present.
The event will be a homecoming for Butler, who graduated from Lawrence in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in government. During a stellar law career spanning more than 25 years, Butler has achieved several notable “firsts,” including being the first public defender from Wisconsin to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court and the first African-American Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. He was appointed to the state’s highest court by Governor Jim Doyle in August, 2004 to fill the position left vacant by Justice Diane Sykes’ acceptance of a seat on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
A native of Chicago’s south side Park Manor neighborhood, Butler earned the J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and served as an assistant Wisconsin State Public Defender in both the appellate and trial divisions.
He served as a Milwaukee Municipal Court judge from 1992-2002 and Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge from 2002 until his appointment to the state supreme court. A former adjunct assistant professor at Marquette University Law School, Butler is a permanent member of the faculty of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev., where judges from across the nation pursue continuing education.
“We’re thrilled to have a person of Justice Butler’s stature headlining our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration,” said Erik Farley, assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs at Lawrence. “This is truly a community-enriching event, one that fosters new friendships and nurtures old ones as it gathers together Lawrentians and Fox Valley community members. It’s gratifying to know that Dr. King’s work lives on in our efforts to create and sustain a living and learning environment that respects all aspects of human difference.
“It is my hope that this celebration serves as a catalyst for future discussions that will challenge this community to think critically and to intellectually explore what might be unfamiliar territory,” Farley added. “We all have a responsibility to inspire the courage to question and to stretch some comfort zones within a safe space for learning and discussion.”
After moving to the Fox Cities in 1990, Rev. Roger Bertschausen of the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and a founding member of Toward Community, was instrumental in organizing the community’s first King holiday celebration.
“I am delighted that the Martin Luther King celebration has become an important annual event in the life of our community, calling us to celebrate the strides toward community and justice we have made and reminding us that we have further to travel,” said Bertschausen.
In addition to Butler’s address, acclaimed singers Tim and Ezra Dorsey will perform during the celebration and lead the audience in a rendition of the African-American national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Tim Dorsey, who has been singing professionally since the 1970s, is well known for his musical versatility and distinctive vocal styling.
Highlighting the event will be the presentation by Toward Community of the annual Jane LaChapelle McCarty Unity in Diversity Award to an area individual who has made great strides in bringing together different people in the community.
The celebration also will include the reading of winning essays written by area youth who have addressed the question, “Is Dr. King’s message of equality and harmony among all people and all races still relevant today?”
A reception for all in attendance will follow the program.
