The 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast was presented by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Ministerium on Friday morning, in an event honoring the supreme and unifying principle of love, and the leadership of women working in the community. The Rev. Jihan Murray-Smith, senior associate rector at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, co-coordinated the event with the Rev. Max Smith and said they hope to keep the MLK Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast an annual tradition. Murray-Smith says beloved community is a phrase coined by King, and also the name of a ministry of the Episcopal Church, Becoming Beloved Community, which is about racial awareness, justice work, and striving for justice and peace among all people. The Rev. Jihan Murray-Smith, senior associate rector at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, addresses the crowd during the 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, presented by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Ministerium, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press) “For many people, when they think of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., they immediately think of the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, it’s iconic, it’s compelling, and it is also not the only thing King preached,” Murray-Smith said. Recently, according to Murray-Smith the Church of the Holy Spirit parish, along with Christ Church of Winnetka and Holy Comforter of Kenilworth, came together to revisit King’s speech from the Summer of 1965, when he addressed the all-white suburb of Winnetka on the Village Green, speaking on the topic of the sinfulness of segregation and just housing for all. “Our work as part of the North Shore Episcopal Collective is centered on Leading with Love: Racial Awareness Through Christ,” Murray-Smith said. The Rev. Luke Black offered a welcome to Friday’s program which sought to uplift women’s voices in a way that they have not always been uplifted in the past. The 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, presented by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Ministerium, Friday morning, Jan.17, 2025. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press) Dove Awards were presented to 3 women leaders acknowledged for their local work and commitment to creating a more just society. Murray-Smith says the dove symbolizes peace and freedom, and the Dove Award, is given to those whose work in the community epitomizes the values of  Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 2025 Dove Award recipients were Sylvia England, founder of the African American Museum at The England Manor in Waukegan, Jennifer Graumhaus co-founder and executive director of North Chicago Community Partners, and Maria Elena Jonas, executive director, of HACES (Hispanic American Community Education and Services). Dove Award recipient, Elena Jonas, executive director, of HACES (Hispanic American Community Education and Services), with Jack Frigo, Lake Forest Bank & Trust board member during the 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, presented by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Ministerium, Friday morning, Jan. 17, 2025. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press) The breakfast event further honored the leadership of women working in the community by featuring keynote speaker, Spencer Nabors, a PhD Candidate in philosophy at Northwestern University and associate minister at Second Baptist Church of Evanston, offering a performance by Rachel Robinson, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, composer, producer and native Chicagoan, whose work serves the mission of healing the world through music, and an opening prayer from Rev. Claire Makins, and Litany of prayers by Lynne Atherton. Nabors said this MLK celebration featured women speakers and women leaders in a community event entirely planned by women. “Stepping off of the foundation built by Martin Luther King, we can move towards a contemporary version, which eliminates some of the inequities of the past, even within the movement itself,” Nabors said. Murray-Smith says so often when we think of the Civil Rights Movement, the names and contributions of women are not top of mind. The Rev. Jihan Murray-Smith, senior associate rector at The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, with Dove Award recipient, Sylvia England, founder of the African American Museum at The England Manor in Waukegan during the 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, presented by the Church of the Holy Spirit and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Ministerium on Jan. 17, 2025. (Gina Grillo/ for the Pioneer Press) “Certainly King was the face, but there were countless women such as Ella Baker and Diane Nash who were instrumental in the success of the Civil Rights Movement – we hope to honor their sacrifice and legacy today,” Murray-Smith said. Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.