Program includes a musical performance from recording artist Daniel Davis
One of Omaha’s leading community revitalization experts, Othello H. Meadows III, will deliver the annual keynote address to honor slain civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus on Monday, Jan. 16.
The annual address is regularly one of the city’s best attended events on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, the event starts at noon, is free and open to the public. Meadows’ speech, which is sponsored by UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, will be in the lower level of the Storz Pavilion in Clarkson Tower.
Known for his enthusiasm and vision, Meadows ran a large, non-partisan, voter registration drive in north Omaha in 2008, which successfully registered 10,000 new people. His passion for his hometown led him to leave the Atlanta law firm he built to help re-build his neighborhood.
“We are excited to hear from a dedicated community visionary, experienced leader and Omaha native,” said Myrna Newland, M.D., director of UNMC’s Equity Office and coordinator of the Martin Luther King Day Commemoration Committee. “Our campus is looking forward to a wonderful event.”
In addition to Meadows, this year’s event features a musical performance by recording artist and violinist Daniel Davis. A former student at New York’s Julliard School of Music, Davis has performed for the president and other internationally known dignitaries.
Meadows brings drive, energy and focus as executive director of Seventy-Five North Revitalization Corp. Named for Highway 75 which runs through north Omaha, the company plans a major renovation to include mixed-income housing, a community center, and support services like grocery stores, job training sites and other small businesses.
He previously served as executive director of the Omaha Workforce Collaborative, a non-profit housed at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce designed to restructure the workforce development efforts of the Omaha metropolitan area.
Meadows attended East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., on a basketball scholarship and earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1997. He later received his law degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2004.
Meadows is a board member at Creighton Prepatory School, The Jesuit Academy and Nebraska Appleseed. He also currently chairs the Omaha Community Foundation’s African-American Unity Fund Grants Committee.
A sought after speaker, Meadows titled his Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech, “Beyond a Dream: De-sanitizing Dr. King’s Legacy.”
Public parking is available on the first level of the parking structure (Lot 5) located on the northeast corner of 42nd Street and Dewey Avenue. Attendees are encouraged to park in stalls 1-108, but if those stalls are full, they can park on any level of the structure.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.