Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism Executive Director Erika Harold served as the keynote speaker at the 51st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast presented by the Frontiers International – Springfield, Ill. Club.
The breakfast was held on Monday, January 19, at the Crowne Plaza Convention Center in Springfield. Roughly 850 people attended the event.
Harold’s remarks explored Dr. King’s legacy, the actions organizations and individuals must take to further his dream, and how the work of the Commission on Professionalism furthers the principles for which he advocated. She was introduced by Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge Sierra Senor-Moore, who serves as a Commissioner on the Commission on Professionalism.
The annual event brings together diverse groups in the Springfield, Ill., metropolitan area to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service, justice, and equality. The theme of this year’s breakfast was “Have You Stopped Dreaming?”
Past speakers have included Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King III, Mamie Till-Mobley, and attorney W.J. Michael Cody. In 2025, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White provided the keynote speech.
Frontiers International is one of the nation’s oldest African American service organizations, with a long-standing commitment to civic engagement and community leadership.
“Frontiers International was proud to welcome Erika Harold as our keynote speaker for this meaningful Martin Luther King Jr. Day tradition,” said Brad Mills, secretary of Frontiers International – Springfield, Ill. Club. “Through her leadership at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, Erika champions a justice system grounded in civility, inclusion, and fairness for all. Her work powerfully reflects Dr. King’s vision and aligns with Frontiers International’s mission to uplift communities through service and leadership.”
“It was an honor to join Springfield Frontiers International in commemorating Dr. King’s legacy,” Harold said. “Dr. King’s call to love our enemies and build a shared consensus for justice has shaped my life and career, and it continues to guide my work today. I am inspired by Frontiers International’s mission of leadership and service, by everyone who gathered for this event, and by all those who work each day to advance Dr. King’s dream. It is through these individual acts of courage and commitment that we bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.”
About the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Illinois Supreme Court established the Commission on Professionalism under Supreme Court Rule 799 to promote integrity, professionalism, and civility among the lawyers and judges of Illinois, to foster a commitment to the elimination of bias and divisiveness within the legal and judicial systems, and to ensure those systems provide equitable, effective, and efficient resolution of problems for the people of Illinois.
The Commission achieves this mission through professional responsibility CLE, lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring, legal professionalism programming, educational resources, robust communications platforms, and more. To learn more, visit 2Civility.org and follow us on LinkedIn.
Press Contact
Laura Bagby, Communications Director
312-363-6209
laura.bagby@2civility.org
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