Allegheny County Judge Joseph K. Williams III, POISE Foundation honored at MLK Prayer Breakfast

For Kellie Ware, Martin Luther King Jr. Day seemed to carry added significance this year because it fell on the same day as the presidential inauguration.

Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s venomous campaign. Along the way, Trump narrowly survived a deadly assassination attempt at a rally in Butler County.

“The state of affairs in politics right now really shows the juxtaposition between what we are celebrating with MLK Day and other happenings today,” Ware said, referring to the inauguration.

“We are trying to dial up a joyful, celebratory experience to give us a boost for whatever may come next,” Ware said Monday at the 26th Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast held by the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Homer S. Brown Division.

Ware, executive director of the Pitt School of Law’s Professional Development Office and co-chair of the event, called the annual prayer breakfast “a mainstay in how we start MLK Day and come together in a way that we generally do not.”

This year, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph K. Williams III was presented with the Drum Major for Justice Award, and the POISE Foundation received the Legacy Award.

“I think that there is a moral challenge that all men have, and in this country, there was a moral challenge from the time that we came here as kidnapped Africans to today. The courts have looked at different points in time, and they made decisions … very few of which I have agreed with along racial lines,” Williams said.

“We are challenged to do what is right and bridge the gap between where we are and bring it toward justice,” he added.

Of Williams, Ware said, “It is very appropriate to honor Williams. He has always said what was needed. We want to make sure that we honor him as he retires from a great career.”

Interestingly, Williams presented the first-ever Drum Major for Justice Award to Byrd Brown in 2000.

Mayor Ed Gainey said Williams has done a great job uplifting the community.

“There is a lot of trepidation and concern over what is to come. Today represents hope … that people can come together, stand up for one another and fight back against the tenets of hate,” Gainey said.

Williams said he has been driven by his upbringing by his parents in the city’s Manchester neighborhood, his sense of faith and what he has seen in terms of disparity and institutional racism.

“There have always been good people who would not relinquish their sense of morality, and that keeps me moving, those who want to see justice,” Williams said.

As for the Legacy Award, POISE Foundation CEO Mark S. Lewis said, “We are truly humbled and proud to be considered for this award, and this really honors the past to the present of this organization and our founder, Mr. Bernard H. Jones.”

Lewis said the foundation’s 10-year strategic plan calls for increasing assets by $100 million to help it be more sustainable and better serve the community.