The NAACP Salt Lake Branch 39th Annual
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Commemoration

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Theme: 

Speaker
Dr. Patricia Spearman

Dr. Pat Spearman is a veteran, former ordained pastor, Ph.D. and Democratic
state senator from North Las Vegas, Nevada. She served in the U.S. Army for
nearly 30 years before retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 2012,
Spearman became the first openly lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature
after defeating the incumbent for the Senate District 1 seat in the primary.
Currently serving her third term, Dr. Spearman holds various leadership positions
in the legislature and is highly regarded as one of Nevada’s greatest advocates for
clean energy, diversity and inclusion, veterans’ issues, and equal opportunity for
all.
Dr. Spearman holds several accredited degrees; a Bachelor of Science (BS) in
Political Science from the Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA; a Master of
Divinity (M.Div.) from The Seminary of the Southwest; and a Doctorate in
Business Administration (DBA) from Walden University.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Recipient

Carlton Christensen

Carlton Christensen is chair of the board of the Utah Transit Authority, a position he has held since 2018. He served on the Salt Lake City Council for 16 years, directed transportation, housing, and economic development for Salt Lake County, and supported community development for Zions Bank. Mr. Christensen has dedicated his life to lifting those around him, applying a collaborative approach to improving the community. The library in his own westside Salt Lake City neighborhood, with its crowdsourced natural landscaping, is an example close to home. Mr. Christensen has ministered to the unhoused, served on the board of Shelter the Homeless, and established policies and ordinances to meet community housing needs. His ability to mediate shared interests and forge partnerships has resulted in landmark progress, from improving zoning regulations for childcare to nondiscrimination ordinances for housing and employment. The naming and location of Rosa Parks Boulevard in Salt Lake City is due to Mr. Christensen’s advocacy. He continues to build community relationships and promote service to those in greatest need through expanding innovative public transit solutions.
Carlton Christensen has dedicated his life to improving the lives of his neighbors—no matter where they reside. In his 25 years of public service, he has found ways to bring people together, identify common ground, and collaborate in the public interest. He advocates on behalf of those without shelter or need of community services. The beneficiaries of his work include people of all colors, faiths, cultural traditions, economic means, sexual orientations, and political persuasions. Currently, the entire Wasatch Front is moving forward with better air quality, mobility, and quality of life thanks in part to Mr. Christensen’s leadership as chair of the board of the Utah Transit Authority.

The Rosa Parks Award Recipient
Jani Iwamoto

Senator Jani Iwamoto was elected to the Utah State Senate to represent District 4 in 2014. She served in leadership as the Assistant Minority Whip. 
She previously served on the Salt Lake County Council where she became the first Asian American elected in the State of Utah. Senator Iwamoto graduated magna cum laude in Mass Communication from the University of Utah and received a JD from the University of California Davis School of Law, King Hall. 

Senator Iwamoto serves on nearly two dozen legislative committees, including Executive Appropriations; Senate Rules; Health and Human Services; Government Operations and Political Subdivisions; Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment; and the Native American Legislative Liaison committee.  During her time in the Senate, Senator Iwamoto championed several pieces of legislation to support communities of color, including policy important to Native Americans and Utah’s tribal nations

Senator Iwamoto advanced legislation to enhance campus safety and protect victims of dating violence, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Her legislative legacy includes critical environmental quality measures, especially regarding policy to enhance water quality and quantity in Utah.

A list of awards she has received include the 2017 Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Commendation; the 2022 Living Color Award by Utah Business Magazine and Living Color; the Quintus C. Wilson Alumni Achievement Award from the Department of Communication at the University of Utah; the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s 2022 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Awardee; and the Utah Democratic Party’s 2022 Eleanor Roosevelt Award. She has served on many boards, including the Lauren McCluskey Foundation’s Board of Directors and the Primary Children’s Hospital Board of Trustees. 

Mistress of Ceremonies

Surae Chinn

Creative and useful DIYs, brilliant cooking hacks, and unique recipes, plus the trendiest topics at the table… Surae Chinn brings it all five days a week as a full-time host of ‘Good Things Utah.’ ABC4’s live, two-hour, daily lifestyle show is where Surae shares the above along with important, worldly issues, giving a diverse voice and perspective to the community.

Surae joined ‘Good Things Utah’ in June of 2019 after transitioning from the 4:00 pm ABC4 News Anchor position, which she began on August 1, 2016. Surae shared her dedication to health and medicine as ABC4’s Health and Medical Correspondent from 2016-2021, leaving a lasting impression and reminder to always ‘be your own advocate.’

This award-winning journalist came to us here in Utah from WUSA9 (CBS) in Washington, D.C., where she served as the fill-in anchor and reporter. Prior to that, Surae worked in Kansas City, Missouri as the weekend morning anchor. She was also the weekend anchor in Lynchburg, Virginia at WSET-TV (ABC), where she received an Edward R. Murrow award for her coverage and 30-minute special on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and an Associated Press award for ‘Best Documentary.’

First Responders Awards Will Be Presented During The Program:
First Responders Awards, established in 2017, will be presented for outstanding community service, actions of valor on or off duty or exemplary law enforcement service.

NAACP Scholarship Donors:
NAACP Scholarships: CHG Healthcare, CR England, Gordon & Connie Hanks, Hires Big H, Larry H. Miller Company, Ben & Liliana Dilts, Nu Skin Enterprises, Shawn and Tory Newell Family Scholarship, Smith’s Food and Drug, and Utah Transit Authority will be presented to Utah High School and College Students.