Every year the King Holiday Committee celebrates the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s birth by awarding members of our community who not only believe in the values trumpeted by Martin Luther King Jr. but who also live their life in pursuit of those values.  This year, the Committee chose to honor Yolanda J. Riley for her consistent pursuit of Social Justice in Peoria. 

Ms. Riley helped hundreds of people expunge and seal their criminal records in Peoria through her work at Prairie State Legal Services in Peoria, Illinois and she continues to do this work in her practice at Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick P.C.  Engagements and sealing are vital tools to help someone who may have slipped once in their life, obtain future employment.  Additionally, Ms. Riley and a few others answered the “Black Panther” challenge locally, volunteering and paying to take some 50 children who were either foster children or otherwise in the foster care system, to see the record breaking movie.

Yolanda J. Riley not only believes in equality and social justice for all, she spends her time and treasure helping others achieve.  She is truly a worthy recipient of the Drum Major Award for Social Justice.

Source: https://www.pjstar.com/news/20190121/cold-empowers-marchers-on-mlk-day