23rd Annual Martin Luther King Portrait Awards will honor Lowcountry frontline workers

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The 23rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Portrait Award ceremony was held virtually and streamed on Live 5′s Facebook page.

You can watch the whole event below.

23rd Annual Martin Luther King Portrait Awards
WATCH LIVE: The 23rd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Portrait Award ceremony recognizes people who emulate the spirit of community service portrayed by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. https://www.live5news.com/2021/01/26/rd-annual-martin-luther-king-portrait-awards-will-honor-lowcountry-frontline-workers/
Posted by Live 5 News on Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The award ceremony recognized people who emulate the spirit of community service portrayed by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This year the MLK Portrait Award committee recognized eight people considered frontline workers. The theme is: “Our invaluable frontline workers, we don’t know them all, but we owe them all.”

The honorees are: Michael Allen, Christopher “Poppa” Smurf, Donald Gilliard, Lynnette Ranz, Doris Washington, Dr. Keyonna Porter-Williams, Bridgette Wright and Jeanette Wright.

State Representative Wendell Gilliard established the award to highlight the hard work of unsung heroes in the Charleston area. The first ceremony was held in 1998 when Gilliard was first elected to Charleston City Council.