BEACON hosts the Laboratory's 11th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. luncheon
On February 28, the Laboratory welcomed Brigadier General Devin Pepper, Deputy Commanding General, Operations, and Vice Commander, Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force, to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and the 60th anniversary of Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance. To commemorate this anniversary, the theme of this year's annual luncheon was "Ascending Together: A Journey Toward Peace." The event was hosted by the Laboratory's Black Experience and Cultural Organization Network (BEACON) and organized by the MLK Committee and BEACON co-chairs Spencer Johnson, Chiamaka Agbasi-Porter, and William Gibbs.
Following the national anthem, Julian Fontes from the Homeland Protection Systems Group gave the opening remarks. He reflected on Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and shared how he believes it can inspire staff at the Laboratory as they work toward their shared goal.
"Regardless of how we may know each other, we are all a single thread woven into the fabric of an organization that pushes toward a shared goal," said Fontes. "In Dr. King's excerpt, he shared that peace and freedom is his shared goal — something that can't be accomplished by one individual and involves many parties to make a successful journey possible. By developing innovative solutions and addressing emerging challenges for national security, the Laboratory contributes to maintaining peace and safeguarding freedom in a rapidly evolving world. This is our shared goal."
The Director of the Laboratory, Dr. Eric Evans, addressed the attendees next. "As we do every year, this is a time to reflect on Dr. King's words and on his legacy. We continue to persevere together as we pursue the fundamental aspirations of unity and compassion within our nation, our communities, and within the Laboratory," said Evans. "We need to have people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking to creatively address the very difficult technical challenges we take on every year."
Evans praised the Diversity and Inclusion Office, Human Resources Department, employee resource groups, and outreach programs for creating community and facilitating support, connectivity, and mentorship within the Laboratory. He also emphasized the importance of these efforts and their impact on the Laboratory's culture and success.
The keynote speaker of the event, Brigadier General Pepper, expressed his appreciation for the theme of this year's luncheon, and discussed some of the important takeaways of Dr. King's speech as they relate to the military. Pepper spoke specifically about the African American military personnel who were often overlooked throughout history, with many of their significant contributions and achievements left unrecognized. He stressed the importance of recognizing, celebrating, and sharing the stories of these individuals and their significant contributions year-round, not just during Black History Month, because they highlight the progress that has been made in the United States and the positive impact of diversity.
"The accomplishments of African Americans and others throughout history must be told because this is our history; it is American history," he said. "Stories like those of Gladys West, an African American U.S. Navy mathematician who is noted as developing some of the early algorithms used to develop the global-positioning satellites, which powers our global economy, and enables many of our weapons and weapons platforms, today. Her accomplishment should be recognized, and her story should be told."
Before fielding questions from the attendees, Pepper concluded with one final thought. "Diversity is what makes this country great and will allow us to prevail against any potential adversary," he said. "While we are not perfect in this country, we continue to make strides in giving all people opportunities to excel. We must be prepared to defend our liberties, our democracy, and our way of life and allow everyone to contribute to the best of their abilities to this cause."
Gibbs gave the concluding marks to the luncheon: "The theme this year, 'Ascending Together: A Journey Toward Peace' is a metaphor, like Dr. King's biblical metaphor related to the Israelites' journey out of Egypt into the wilderness. The road to our individual and organizational goals is long, make no mistake about it, rife with challenges and change, but if we ascend together, we can achieve anything on our journey toward peace."
