MLK prayer breakfast honors Pitt School of Law vice dean Jerry Dickinson

The Allegheny County Bar Association Homer S. Brown division held its 25th annual MLK prayer breakfast on Monday.

Jerry Dickinson, vice dean at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, was recognized with the Drum Major for Justice Award at Bethel A.M.E. Church in the Hill District.

Many say Dickinson embodies the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Dickinson is now in the company of many other notable people who have also received the award, including Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale). The location of the event was fitting for Dickinson’s own legacy.

Bethel A.M.E. Church was originally located in the lower Hill District until it was razed in 1957 to make way for the Civic Arena. Dickinson helped provide legal advice for the church to receive respirations for the wrongful displacement.

“This is an extremely important award and extremely important event. Martin Luther King’s journey and his words and his deeds have resonated with me throughout my life,” Dickinson said.

Dickinson grew up in the foster care system and his foster parents created a shelter and long-term foster group in Shaler Township. His foster parents and established a long term foster group home.

“I stumbled upward, and I did okay for myself — but now I need to give back to the community and I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, and by standing on the shoulders of giants you have the responsibility to give back to the community,” he said.

His tenure as a civil rights attorney, making sure people have access to housing and a clear path forward if and when someone is evicted, was connected to his upbringing.

“At a very young age I didn’t have a roof over my head,” Dickinson said. “There are millions of Americans across the country and thousands of others here in the Pittsburgh region who don’t have access to housing. It is important that lawyers use their skillset to provide that type of assistance.”

The ABCA Homer S. Brown Drum Major for Justice award honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. The award highlight Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon The Drum Major Instinct, which was initially given at a Baptist church in Atlanta.

Echoing King’s parables, “If you want to say that I am a drum major, say that I am a drum major for a fair, just, and equitable Pittsburgh. Say that I am a drum major to ensure every Pittsburgher has access to safe and stable housing. Say that I am a drum major for hope that Pittsburgh will become one of the most livable cities for African Americans,” Dickenson said.

Attorney Gretchen Moore attends the event every year.

“This is an important day. It is important to remember how far we’ve come and how much still needs to be done, and get some inspiration,” she said.

Students from Duquesne University also attended the breakfast, like Ayanna Townsend and Lauren Wasylson, both graduate students on the women’s basketball team.

“It’s important for us to celebrate Martin Luther King. A lot of people that are growing up now might think that his legacy occurred along time ago. In actuality it is something that happened quite recently, and it’s important not to let important moments like that die,” Townsend said.

The idea of fellowship was also important to many of the attendees.

“This is one of the events that we get to give back to the community,” Kellie Ware, ABCA liaison, said.

This year, non-perishable food donations were collected for Bethel A.M.E Church’s food panty.

Gainey, Allegheny County executive Sara Innamorato and former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin were among the elected officials in attendance.

“It’s important that we use our light to remove darkness,” Gainey said. “The greatest thing you can do is service to help improve the lives of others.”

Gainey said when he thinks about Martin Luther King Jr., he thinks about Pittsburgh. He said change is going on not just in this county, but in this state and it is something you can feel.

Innamorato emphasized that our struggles are intertwined. “People in the county are living vastly different experiences, we will not have a more just or inclusive Allegheny County overnight, but each day we must keep moving forward toward progress,” she said.

Luther Sewell Jr., 87, moved to Pittsburgh from Tennessee when he was 6. The retired marketer saw Martin Luther King Jr. twice.

“Martin Luther King Jr. impressed me when I saw him because he was so dedicated to it,” Sewell said. “I’m originally from Tennessee, I road on the back of the bus, so it meant something to me.”

The event also highlighted Black lawyers in the Pittsburgh area — only 5% of lawyers in the U.S. are Black, according to the American Bar Association.

“It’s rare that you have a lot of us [Black lawyers] in the same room,” said Gabrielle Lee, ACBA Homer S. Brown Division chair.

The organization is launching a children’s book, “Black Lawyers in the Burgh,” and in February will have an event where kids can learn about becoming an attorney, Lee said.

“It is important that we make a pipeline to create more Black lawyers, so they are not just the first generation but the third,” Gainey said.