 
Welcome to Cleveland Clinic's 28th annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration.
To begin our program, a performance by Open Tone Music
and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland.
(bright piano music)
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
♪ For me and you ♪
♪ To get along ♪
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
♪ For me and you ♪
♪ To get along ♪
♪ It doesn't matter ♪
♪ What color you are ♪
♪ Or your background ♪
♪ I will hold your hand ♪
♪ And call you my friend ♪
♪ It doesn't matter ♪
♪ What color you are ♪
♪ Or your background ♪
♪ I will hold your hand ♪
♪ And call you my friend ♪
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
♪ For me and you ♪
♪ To get along ♪
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
♪ For me and you ♪
♪ To get along ♪
♪ It doesn't matter ♪
♪ What color you are ♪
♪ Or your background ♪
♪ I will hold your hand ♪
♪ And call you my friend ♪
♪ It doesn't matter ♪
♪ What color you are ♪
♪ Or your background ♪
♪ I will hold your hand ♪
♪ And call you my friend ♪
♪ I will call you brother ♪
♪ I will call you sister ♪
♪ I will call you friend ♪
♪ I will call you brother ♪
♪ I will call you sister ♪
♪ I will call you friend ♪
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
♪ Martin Luther King ♪
♪ Had a dream for me ♪
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Please welcome Reverend Dr. Amy Greene,
director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Spiritual Care.
(audience applauding)
Thank them. (laughing)
Thank you you again.
What a beautiful way to start,
what a beautiful way to start this day.
Good morning.
It's my great honor and privilege to welcome you
to this year's Martin Luther King
Annual Community Breakfast and Celebration.
It's a very important day for us
here at the Cleveland Clinic family,
but also for our whole community,
to pause and recognize the contributions
of a humble pastor from Atlanta, Georgia,
his dream of peace and justice,
which was born out of the spirituality
of the African-American community's deep, Biblical roots,
began a movement that lives on to this day.
We have come a long way, but we have a long way
yet to go.
So we gather to remember his work,
and his legacy, but not merely to look at it
as if it is some art piece in a museum.
No, we gather here to renew our spirits,
at this dawning of a new year,
to renew ourselves for the work of healing
and wholeness for all people, not just the lucky.
Dr. King knew and we know, at our best,
that even when one person suffers from illness or injury
or inequity, it impacts all of us.
This is the second year that we have been incorporating
our traditional interfaith service
into the breakfast program,
and we're really excited about that.
Dr. King knew that if people's spirits failed them,
that all the medicine in the world couldn't fix it,
and so, we offer today food for the body and the mind,
and the spirit, so that whichever of those
or all of those you're most in need of this morning,
we hope you will get it.
To bless our time together, I welcome
the Cleveland Clinic's very own,
and first-ever Muslim chaplain, and chaplain educator,
Imam Jawad Bayat. (audience applauding)
Good morning, my brothers and sisters,
my sisters and brothers.
It is an honor to offer a blessing for our sacred space
that is marked with such diversity.
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
expressed that whatever affects one directly
affects all indirectly.
I can never be what I ought to be until you are
what you ought to be.
We are in this life together, each of us having a purpose
that only you can share with the world,
and so, we are gathered here today raising up
Dr. King's legacy, to honor such values he embraced,
and embodied throughout his short, yet significant life.
We are here today to remember his legacy,
but to yet also be bearers of his legacy.
We do this within our space of fellowship,
of community, over the course of our blessed meals,
to experience the renewal in our spirits,
a renewal that helps allow for the continued,
life-giving work and life-giving ways
to help mark our lives, a renewal that serves to sustain
the courage in our spirits, for when we face
the tribulations of our times.
May the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
be blessed, may his legacy inspire our hearts
and inspire us into loving action and service.
May we continue to remember how deeply and humanly connected
we all are to one another,
and we ask for a blessing upon our meal,
upon those who prepared it, and those will clean up
after us, and upon our time together.
Amen. Amen.
(audience applauding)
Thank you, Chaplain Bayat.
So representing the fabulous and vibrant
religious diversity of our city,
this morning, we are blessed to the Bishop
of the Catholic Church, Nelson Perez.
As you can see in your program,
he was installed as the 11th bishop of Cleveland
in September of 2017, and he served as chaplain
to his holiness, John Paul II,
and a Prelate of Honor to Pope Benedict XVI.
Today, he's a member
of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops,
and serves as chair of the Bishops Committee
on Cultural Diversity in the Church.
I would just like to add that he is an extremely warm
and generous person.
I think he had barely unpacked his boxes
as our new bishop when I asked him if he would come
and speak to the Cleveland Clinic for Spiritual Care
Grand Rounds, that's been about a year or so ago.
He graciously agreed to come, and he brought
a breath of joy and fresh thinking
to how our faith informs all the work we do,
and I'm very, very grateful that he's here
with us this morning.
Unfortunately, he has to catch a plane after his blessing,
so I told him I would give everybody a heads up,
so that we don't think he's marching out on us. (laughing)
So welcome, Bishop Perez. (audience applauding)
God is good. All the time.
And all the time. God is good.
Oh, we could do better than that, right?
God is good. All the time.
And all the time. God is good.
And what a better way to start the day
than praying and eating, right?
(audience laughing)
I'm so honored to be here, to speak at this wonderful,
important event.
Thank you, Doctor, for the invitation,
and the mayor, for being here today.
As we once again remember the heart, the vision,
the mind, the strength, the passion
of this incredible human being, Dr. Martin Luther King.
You know, we could actually probably count on our hands,
on our hands the number of individuals of which
our country dedicates a day.
Right?
You know, it's really just a few,
and little would this humble, peaceful pastor,
little would he had known,
you know, so many years later, that his legacy
would still be alive.
For him, I am sure that when he started out,
all he wanted to be was a voice for the oppressed.
That was it.
He was following the call of God in his heart
to be a prophetic voice for those who had no voice.
But his voice became a powerful voice
that continues to resonate in the heart of this country,
and in our hearts today.
Dr. King was, first and foremost, a man of great faith,
and despite his obstacles and all the hardships
that he had to endure, at the end,
it came down to the fact that he was a man who believed
in his God, and he believed that love is not determined,
we've heard it so much, right, that love is not determined
by the color of our skin, but by the,
but that we're all created in the image of God,
and that our strength and our growth as a country
and as a people revolve around engaging
of that love that flows also from peace.
And so, we come together to remember today Dr. King
once again, to let his words stir in our hearts,
to stir us into action, to embrace his message
of peace and nonviolence and racial equality,
and justice for all of us.
I would like to just focus briefly on five words
that really describe, in my heart and mind,
the vision of Dr. King.
First of all was vision, commitment, courage, hope and love.
No doubt that Dr. King had a vision,
and he had a clear vision.
In fact, he had a dream, right?
Those who have visions have a dream, a dream.
And despite all the obstacles and all the doubts
and the anxiety that comes with great leadership,
he remained focused, steadfast on this dream
that God has whispered into his soul.
He had a dream.
He says, you know, "I have a dream that all
"my four little children will one day live in a nation
"where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
"but by the content of their character."
That was his dream and everything that flowed
from that dream, it was dream of vision,
it was a dream of freedom, it was a dream of where
we could all say, as he said so many times,
"Free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last."
Commitment.
This is what he said of commitment.
"If you can't fly, then run.
"Then walk.
"If you can't walk, then crawl.
"But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.
"You have to keep moving forward."
That's commitment.
And that's a hard thing sometimes, right?
Sometimes, I wanna stay home,
because I have a headache. (audience laughing)
Commitment.
"Courage, courage is that inner resolution,"
Dr. King said, "to go forward despite obstacles."
He says, "Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
"But conscience asks the question, is it right?"
And he had the courage to do what is right,
which eventually even cost him his life.
Hope.
Hope is what fuels the heart of a faithful person,
because hope takes us beyond the stuff
that's happening in the immediate, to focus, then,
on the dream that God whispers in our hearts,
which He whispered into Dr. King's heart.
This is what he said about hope.
He said, "We must accept finite disappointment,
"but never lose infinite hope.
"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope."
And love, this is what Dr. King said of love.
"Along the way, someone must have the sense enough
"and the morality enough to cut off the chain of hate.
"This cannot be done, this can only by projecting
"the ethics of love to the center of our lives."
You see, Dr. King understood that the human heart
was made to love.
And so, we know that lots of progress, yes,
has been made, but we have more work to do.
We have more work to do.
But we do it with a sense of commitment,
with a courageous heart, with a hopeful heart,
with a loving heart, because we, too,
like Dr. King, have been touched by our faith,
and a loving God, and a gentle God,
who calls us to live as brothers and sisters.
Thank you so much, God bless you,
have a great day, and long live Dr. King.
(audience applauding)
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Thank you so much, Bishop Perez, and safe travels,
and safe home to us.
As many of you know, for the first few decades
of this celebration, there was a prayer service
before the breakfast,
first at East Mount Zion Baptist Church,
our neighbors, who I think are here.
Hope, you in the house?
We are grateful to have, oh yeah.
(audience applauding)
We're grateful to have the chance to have the faith aspect
of the service be part of the breakfast,
which started last year, and we're very excited about that,
because we believe that this inst just about what religion,
if any, each of us practices,
but rather, it is about what keeps us motivated to heal
and to serve when things get hard,
when hope flags, and when courage flags,
and when there are other obstacles in the way,
and to serve in a diverse community as we do here
at the Cleveland Clinic, with people from literally
all over the world, who come here for healing.
It's about believing in something bigger than ourselves,
and it's about putting our own interests on a plane
at least even with those of others.
So we believe that diversity is divinely inspired, inter,
intended, and also empowered,
that we believe diversity was the creator's idea all along.
So we thank the Cleveland Clinic for supporting this event,
and especially our president and CEO, Dr. Tom Mihaljevic,
who I ask, now to come and say a word.
Thank you. (audience applauding)
Thank you, Amy, and good morning.
Good morning.
Thank you very much for joining us
for this joyful event, and it is a joyful event,
because we are celebrating an extraordinary life,
and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and speaking
about joyful, what do you think about the opening act?
(audience applauding)
There is no better way to start a day,
I can assure you that.
And as we celebrate the life and legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
we know that he continues to live among us.
One way that a person can create a legacy
is through his mission and through his work,
and the other way is through his or her's words.
And the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. continue to live
in these communities, and will continue
to live here forever.
And as we reflect on his words, there is a wonderful,
wonderful phrase and a theme for today's conversation
and that theme evolves around his ask
that we never walk alone.
And his ask, not only did we never walk alone,
but we always march forward and make a pledge
that we will never go back.
And in my tenure as a CEO of Cleveland Clinic,
I try to follow his instruction,
and I try to walk through our communities here in Cleveland.
I had a great pleasure and a privilege
to meet very many members of the community
and to become a partner and I believe,
friends of leaders in the community.
Major Jackson is here today, Councilman Jones,
and Councilman Griffin from Fairfax and Hough communities
We're great partners as we strive to improve the lives
in our communities.
Cleveland Clinic can not strive if our communities
do not strive along with us.
We have to walk this path together.
And as we walk through the communities,
there are a few things that I've learned.
Concerns of our communities are the same as the concerns
of our nation, and therefore, they are the same
as the concerns of our organization.
And here are the concerns.
The health of our nation, the challenges that we're facing
today are different than the challenges
that we faced 20 years ago.
We eradicated many diseases, but now,
we are facing new challenges.
Opiate crisis, more than a hundred deaths every day
due to the opioid overdose, all of this with an undercurrent
of an epidemic that we do not speak about often,
as we should, and that is the epidemic
of the mental health disease.
Cleveland Clinic has been committed
to battle those new epidemics.
We have reduced the number of opioids that we prescribe
to our patients, we are finding new ways
to treat the pain, and we have become
the largest provider of mental health services in our state,
home state of Ohio.
There-- (audience member applauding)
Thank you. (audience applauding)
We're facing another complex challenges,
and I would like to speak about them,
because I know that if Dr. King were alive,
he would take this as a part of his mission,
and one of them is to serve our youngest.
We have an unacceptable mortality rate
of our youngest members of our community.
Our children die young, and they shouldn't.
There is another danger that is facing our children,
and it is the danger of vaping.
New devices, creating new challenges
for the most vulnerable, our teenagers.
This is something that we are dedicated to work
along with our communities and battle the new diseases
of the 21st century.
But we've learned more than just the challenges
in the healthcare in our communities.
We have learned about the importance of jobs
to create healthy communities,
and Cleveland Clinic is, in 2019,
has become the largest employer
in the state of Ohio. (audience applauding)
And-- (audience applauding)
And we have added, last year alone,
more than 200 jobs in our immediate communities here
around our main campus from Fairfax and Hough.
But we have also extending our hands
to the communities as we awarded our caregivers
a paid time off, to take part in the organizations
like Cleveland Clinic Food Bank,
Medwish Boys & Girls Club and Harvest for Hunger,
and they have embraced it, so close to 2,000
of our caregivers have taken advantage of this opportunity.
And lastly, we would like to motivate our youngest
members of the community, so high school students
to look at healthcare as a potential profession.
Our favorite program is the Stokes Fellowship Program
that opens eyes of young high school students,
and opportunities for jobs in healthcare.
And I cannot tell you how inspiring it is
to see the joys in their faces as they recognize
that their healthcare is exciting,
that their healthcare is important,
and that is the way that we can contribute
to one another and the families that surround us.
In aggregate, our efforts this year,
this past year, in 2019, have amassed to more
than a billion dollars in a community benefit
that Cleveland Clinic has contributed.
(audience applauding)
This is the largest contribution we've ever made,
but I can assure you that this is not
the largest contribution we will ever make,
and that we will not look back.
Now speaking about the communities, the,
our family, Cleveland Clinic family
and communities around us, there is an inspiration
that we can find among the people we know,
people who live the potential, that the partnership
between the community and the organizations like ours
can bring to enhance the lives of an individual,
his or her's family, and a community as a whole.
Today, we will introduce a speaker, who speaks about himself
as an ordinary person, who just tried to do
as good as he could.
Now, it is my conviction, and I'm sure you will share
this conviction that he's quite extraordinary,
and this video will tell you why.
We end the week with Steve Hartman, and an auto mechanic
whose life took an unexpected turn on the road.
Look at this.
I really wanna be a doctor when I grow up.
Whenever his two little girls
play doctor and dream of becoming one someday--
Let me take your heartbeat, doctor.
48-year-old master mechanic,
Carl Allamby is flooded with the feeling of deja vu.
You wanted to be a doctor? Oh, yeah.
But that wasn't realistic.
Not where I came from, no.
I grew up in East Cleveland,
which is a very impoverished city.
We were on welfare, and I remember the powdered milk,
government powdered milk and block cheese.
And because they were so poor,
young Carl quickly set aside his professional aspirations
and focused instead on becoming the best auto mechanic
he could be.
So this was the parts store where I got
all my customers from.
So you would work on cars in the parking lot
of the parts store?
Oh, yeah, sometimes 'til one,
two o'clock in the morning.
Eventually, he got his own shop,
and for 15 years, he did okay,
until one day, he decided to ratchet things up.
In 2006, Carl enrolled here at Ursuline College.
His intention was to get a business degree,
to help him manage his repair shop,
but there was one hurdle, a biology class.
He couldn't understand why he had to take it,
and he put it off as long as possible.
I'm a business major. Yeah.
What do I even care about biology?
But I went to class and in the first hour
of being there, I knew what I wanted to do
with the rest of my life.
All those ideas of wanting to be a doctor
just came rushing back.
And to make a long story short,
the car doctor-- Dr. Carl Allamby.
Is now a doctor doctor.
Yay, we love you!
Last spring, Carl graduated
from Northeast Ohio Medical University,
and today, he's an emergency medicine resident
at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
Hey, Miss Fior.
By all accounts, Carl is already
an exemplary doctor, partly because,
according to his supervisors,
he worked so long in a garage.
That cannot translate.
You'd be shocked, actually.
I think it's some of the customer service.
This is Dr. Rebecca Merrill.
But could you imagine, right now,
going and learning auto mechanics?
No. (laughing)
But Carl said he'll do our oil changes, so.
Fortunately, Carl now has more important repairs
on his mind, but this old auto mechanic
also knows that whether you're working under a hood,
or staring down a hatch-- Can I have you
open up your mouth really wide?
Your success hinges on your drive.
I would hear people say, "Well, Carl, it's gonna take
"nine years to become a doctor."
Yeah. And I'd say,
"Well, nine years is gonna pass anyway,
"so I'd rather be someplace I wanna be
"than someplace that I could've been."
And there's the prescription.
Yeah. For the I can't do it blues.
Steve Hartman, and "On the Road," in Akron, Ohio.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Thank you.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you all.
Thank you for having me here today.
It is such an incredible honor to speak
on this day of remembrance, of one of the greatest advocates
for fairness and equality.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of justice for all
is certainly very much alive,
as we continue to remember his legacy.
My name is Dr. Carl Allamby,
and I am an emergency medicine resident--
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
At Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
I find it gratifying to be a doctor here
at Cleveland Clinic, and I'd like to express
my sincere gratitude to Dr. Mihaljevic
for inviting me to deliver this year's address,
and his extraordinary leadership to this great institution.
During my years in medical school
at Northeast Ohio Medical University,
it was known I grew up in the Cleveland area,
and my passion for Northeast Ohio
has always been strong.
Thus, I was affectionately given the name,
"Carl from Cleveland." (audience laughing)
Well, I find it natural now to be known
as "Carl from Cleveland Clinic."
(audience laughing)
Just a few short years ago, I was inspired to make
a significant change in my life,
as I transitioned from 25 years as a business owner
in automotive repair to a new role as a physician.
As I reflect on my life and career,
I can't think but to, help but to think of all of those
who have supported and nurtured me,
all the teachers, neighbors, customers, friends, and family,
many who are here today,
who have not been nothing short of encouraging,
embracing and full of good will and blessings for me.
As a husband, father, businessman, student,
and now, doctor, countless individuals
have generous embraced my continued upward trajectory.
As Dr. King once said, "We cannot walk alone,
"and as we walk, we must take the pledge
"that we shall always march ahead.
"We cannot turn back."
This quote has definitely rung true in my life,
as my success has been built with the love,
support, and guidance of others,
who have marched with me along my journey.
Initially, I didn't really understand the significance
of my story and the relevance it has for others.
I realize there's a multitude of reasons
I shouldn't be a doctor today.
Growing up in a poor neighborhood,
attending an economically deprived school,
having a former successful career, being older,
having a family of four,
or just being an African-American male,
not to mention my almost two hour daily commute
back and forth to medical school.
Although any of these obstacles could've prevented me
from obtaining my dream,
I am here today as a result of a community of people
who have walked with me in my never-ending quest
for a better tomorrow. (audience applauding)
Now life for me has not always been easy.
As a young child growing up in East Cleveland,
just a couple miles east of where we are today,
I keenly remember the struggles of being in a neighborhood
where jobs were scarce, drugs were rampant,
and survival took precedence over education.
Walking alone was oftentimes, dangerous,
if you came across kids who were looking for trouble.
Many people I knew fell victim to violence,
drug use, incarceration, and early death.
However, in my home, my parents and siblings
always provided love, support, and continually reinforced
the value of helping others.
Although money was scarce and we sometimes went
without basic necessities,
I could always count on the unyielding love
of all my family to weather the most difficult storms
of my upbringing.
I also had a great many neighbors who provided
examples of hard work and dedication of family,
which I routinely admired,
however, for a young male with a desire to pursue medicine,
there were no opportunities to model myself
as a physician from my community,
because they didn't exist.
As I progressed through my early education,
the dream of becoming a doctor slowly faded,
replaced by the necessity to fit in and survive.
After working for a local parts store,
and going to automotive school at nights,
by the age of 19, and with a $500 Sears credit card
and a lot of ambition and hard work,
I was able to start a business that would sustain
me and my family for over 25 years.
My businesses were located not far from where I grew up,
and it was the people from my community
that supported all my years as an entrepreneur,
because yes, we cannot walk alone.
Unfortunately, traditional college after high school
seemed like an unrealistic option.
For most, factory work or the military seemed to be
the most viable alternative.
I remember vividly when my older sister
left for college.
Although at nearby Kent State, she struggled tremendously
with the cost of tuition, room and board and books.
When she received a school refund check
meant to sustain the unexpected cost over the semester,
she used it, instead, to help our mom and dad
replaced a badly leaking roof at home,
leaving her with very little.
After being unable to survive on noodles and crackers,
and until the next refund check,
she was forced to come home and defer her dream
of being the first college graduate of our family.
Seeing her struggle in this way made college seem
more like a burden than a gateway out of poverty.
Well, I am proud to say, many years later,
she completed her goal,
obtaining her doctorate in education,
making her the first Dr. Allamby--
(audience applauding)
My sister, Melanie Allamby-Johnson, who is here.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
My other two sisters, Lorraine and Audrey
are both here, too, and have been inspiring
and encouraging, helping me through this life,
as well as my brothers, who live in the D.C. area.
After many years in business,
I decided I need a more formal education
to continue the growth of my corporation.
I was great at fixing cars, and certified
as a master technician, but wanted to become
a better businessman, and decided to complete
a long-deferred business degree.
Adding night school to my already long days wasn't easy,
but necessary to achieve my goals.
As the video said, I put off this biology class and--
(audience laughing)
pushed it off, almost to the very end.
I thought it was such a deviation
from my core educational studies,
that it wasn't relevant to my learning.
I was there for a business degree.
I had a family, two repair shops, employees and customers
all counting on me.
Then, one day, a counselor came and said,
"Hey, Carl, you know, if you wanna graduate,
(audience laughing)
"you better take this biology course."
So I held my head down, and I walked into that first day
of biology class, and within an hour,
I'm serious, within an hour,
I was reminded of my prior ambition to become a doctor.
I instantly knew my course in my life had to change.
Along my journey, there have been countless professors,
family members, friends, many who are here today,
and of course, my wife, Kim,
who have been nothing short of amazing in helping me
to make a successful transition in business, in medicine.
Now, I gotta tell you something about my wife.
(audience applauding)
My wife has been fantastic with just being my rock,
and being that stabilizing force in our family,
and I could always count on her to, you know,
do the things to keep us together,
to plan vacations around our busy schedules,
because she also works full-time as a physical therapist,
and always just being encouraging,
encouraging me to get out there and study,
even when I didn't want to,
and would edit my papers at night sometimes,
but most importantly, some of my days
of studying when I would go to the local college,
Ursuline, where I graduated from initially,
and studied there, sometimes, all night long,
and on the weekends.
Quite often, she would bring the children by,
and we would use the cafeteria and have dinner,
or go outside and play on the lush, green lawn,
and run up and down hills, and have fun,
and she'd take the kids back home,
and get them ready for bed,
and I'd go back to work, and I just can't tell you
how much I appreciate you, honey.
(audience applauding)
Now I am sure there are several others who have yet
to provide me with the guidance and support
as I hone my skills and navigate the complexities
of being a doctor.
We all rely on our community of family,
neighbors and friends, to help us along our way
through this journey in life.
We must continue the support of one another,
as none of us are successful without the help of others.
I'm reminded of a day a few years ago,
when I was pursuing my premedical education.
I would oftentimes volunteer some nights after work
or school in a local emergency department,
and late one night, there was a young woman
who was being discharged.
She was homeless, with four children.
The social worker was desperately trying
to find a shelter that would accept her
and her children, as it was close to 11:00 p.m.,
and most were closed for the night.
As I walked in the room to see what I could help with,
the look of fear and uncertainty
in her older preteen children was undeniable.
I could see the look of despair, as they faced having
to sleep another night outside,
in the harsh streets of Cleveland.
Her other two children were much younger,
and one is the same age as my younger one at home,
about three years old, and she was curled up
in a chair, visibly exhausted,
and trying to stay comfortable,
and find a position for her to sleep,
and her big sister kind of rubbed her arms
to help keep her warm.
As I went to get them blankets and whatever food
I could find, I couldn't help but wonder,
what kind of life are these children going to have?
What kind of chance would they have at receiving
a quality education?
How would they get by when they have so little now?
When will they eat again?
How will they overcome the memories
of being destitute and desperate
for so many of the necessities I,
and others have become accustomed to having?
How could I blame these kids for not pulling themselves
up by their bootstraps when they don't even have boots?
Come on. That's right.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Then, I thought of the mother, who is endearing
and protective of her children,
trying to comfort and reassure her children
that everything will be okay,
and the hospital will find somewhere they could stay.
What kind of life must she have lived
to be in this situation?
Where are the family, friends and neighbors,
who would certainly come to my rescue
if I were in this situation?
I oftentimes think of this family,
and I pray that life has become a little bit easier.
It is essential that we continue to support those
who have so much less than us.
Like these children, many are victims
of their circumstances,
not through any fault of their own.
The truth is, poverty is oftentimes generational.
It is hard to escape the grips of poor education,
dangerous neighborhoods, and a lack of economic opportunity.
While I am proud to know that Cleveland Clinic
and many other hospital systems, local businesses,
and charities have been ardent supporters
of the unfortunate, and have continued
to provide economic benefit to the community it serves,
as we could not walk alone.
As an example, the annual Minority Men's Health Fair,
led by Dr. Charles Modlin, (audience applauding)
who is a great surgeon here at Cleveland Clinic.
He helped to bring healthcare to underserved communities
and a multitude of marginalized members
of our society for many years.
I urge everyone to learn more about and be part
of this traditional event that gives back
to our community.
Dr. Modlin has also served as a mentor for me
and many other aspiring physicians,
through his tireless dedication to medicine,
and I can't thank him enough.
I can't thank you enough for being a positive example
for all of us to appreciate. (audience applauding)
Thank you.
(audience applauding)
Additional, Cleveland Metropolitan School District
now provides free tuition for all its graduating students
through the generosity of the nonprofit,
Say Yes to Education. (audience applauding)
This is an incredible feat that will lessen the burden
and fear of attending traditional higher learning
that is sure to change the lives of so many children,
helping them mitigate this vicious cycle of poverty.
I recently visited Kenneth Clement Boys' Leadership Academy,
a school in Cleveland for pre-K to 8th grade,
during their Career Symposium Day.
This school is located not far from where I once lived
when I was a child.
Surrounded by abandoned and dilapidated homes
and shuttered businesses,
this school provides children with an amazing
educational experience with caring staff,
wraparound services, positive messaging,
and high academic standards that is setting these children
on a proper pathway towards success.
Many people who are invited to speak at this event
were business professionals, public servants,
doctors, lawyers, engineers, police officers,
and others from various industries and occupations,
most of whom grew up in similar situations
as these young men and myself.
The imagery of so many people who have beaten the odds
of recurrent poverty was inspiring
for all in attendance, however,
a common theme of all of us speakers was,
we would not have been able to achieve our level
of success without the help of many others.
As another example of positive change in our community,
I am happy to see the City of Cleveland making progress
on the lead epidemic that has gripped
Northeast Ohio's urban communities for so long.
(audience applauding)
As a child, I can remember the sweet taste of lead
from the dust that accumulated on the windowsill
in an old home where we once lived for awhile.
The memory of teeth marks
along the wood from previous children
who once dwelled there is unforgettable.
Attracted to the toxic substance found in older homes,
they were unknowingly ingesting something
that would yield life-long consequences.
For decades, children have suffered the deleterious effects
of high lead blood levels, which has stunted
their intellectual growth, made them more prone to violence
and prevented them from competing with their peers,
who have not had to overcome the life-long disability
that comes from chronic lead exposure.
We need to continue to make advancements in remediating lead
from our inner city communities,
and I am happy to see the progress we have made
in securing federal dollars to help with this process.
And from this, we cannot go back.
(audience applauding)
As for my current occupation, I thoroughly enjoy
coming to work to make a difference every day.
I've been known as Mr. Fix It my entire life.
(audience laughing)
And I enjoy helping others with the difficulties they face,
no matter if it's their carburetor or their kidney.
(audience laughing)
However, I know with every patient and every encounter,
I have to earn the right to call myself a doctor.
My first responsibility is to the people I serve.
This has not been so different from my former career,
as the majority of my daily tasks hinged
upon assuring people I will be their advocate
and provide the best service I can give,
and then, follow through on that promise.
This is at the heart of every interaction
and I am only as good as my next encounter.
I witnessed the commitment so many of my colleagues
have to their patients and profession.
They all work hard every day to provide great care
to their patients, and watching their interactions
energizes me throughout my long days and nights.
I have been fortunate to know so many people
from diverse communities in Northeast Ohio,
wealthy, poor, old, young, gay, straight,
multiple ethnicities.
In some way, everyone seems to remind me
of somebody I already know. (audience laughing)
I love the connection I'm able to make with my patients,
no matter where they're from or who they are.
I believe this is where empathy is born,
and why we need to know and try to understand one another.
I know change is hard.
Being able to commit to an unknown future
while trying to maintain the stability
of the past and present can be difficult.
Long ago, I made a commitment to myself
to try to grow in diverse ways of thoughts and actions
within many facets of my life.
I decided to take chances I may not have before,
stare adversity in the face, and overcome challenges
that seemed insurmountable,
to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
That's what has brought me here today.
To be great, we must be willing to do more than usual,
we must chart a path forward,
that is inclusive, just, and equitable,
not just for ourselves, but for others,
who may not have a voice.
We must be willing to try things we are not good at,
and look at mistakes not as failures,
but opportunities to grow and learn.
I implore all of you to share your experiences,
successes and failures with the youth of today,
to show them they are capable of more than they ever know.
Most importantly, let's continue to love one another,
and realize no matter who we are,
or where we came from, we are all God's children.
Amen.
(audience applauding)
This, this is what we must do to continue
to fulfill the legacy of Dr. King,
and we must do it together, we must march ahead,
and we shall never turn back.
Thank you for having me.
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Thank you. (audience applauding)
Thank you. (audience applauding)
Thank you. (audience applauding)
Thank you. (audience applauding)
Well, I know you don't envy me trying to say something.
(audience laughing)
All I can say is, from now on, any time any of us
has an excuse for why we're not gonna do something,
I'm just gonna say, Dr. Allamby.
(audience laughing) (audience applauding)
And I probably shouldn't say this,
but after you're finished with medicine,
would you think about running for president?
(audience laughing)
(audience cheering) (audience applauding)
Well, my, what a morning, huh?
(audience laughing)
My, my, what a morning.
So it's hard to bring this to a close.
What a wonderful, wonderful time we've had.
And we'll end with a tradition that we've used
for years and years, but before we turn it back over
to the Open Tones, and to Reverend Brian Shields
of Spiritual Care and Healing Services,
I just wanna remind us that a few nights
before Dr. King was assassinated,
he was praying yet again from this brotherhood,
and I think he would add sisterhood of the world,
and he said, "One day, the stars of the morning
"will sing together," so let's be the stars of the morning
and sing together.
Thank you for coming. (audience applauding)
Please stand.
Today, I would like to say thank you
to the Reverend Dr. A. Charles Bowie,
who has been-- (audience applauding)
a spiritual advisor, as well as a leader
and song-bearer for this monumental event.
Thank you to Dr. Mihaljevic for hosting this event,
and today, would you please join me and the Open Tone Choir
in singing, "We Shall Overcome?"
"We Shall Overcome" is not just about civil rights.
"We Shall Overcome" is about overcoming obstacles,
overcoming doubt, overcoming inhibiting mindsets,
so all of us have something we shall overcome.
It could be a goal of the year, it could be an OKR.
(audience laughing)
It could be our dream, and the obstacles
that are in front of our dreams.
So let us sing together, "We Shall Overcome."
♪ We shall overcome ♪
♪ We shall overcome ♪
♪ We shall overcome someday ♪
♪ Oh, oh deep in my heart ♪
♪ I do believe ♪
Yeah, feel free to join in, if you want.
♪ We shall overcome someday ♪
We shall all be free, we shall all be free someday.
♪ We shall all be free ♪
♪ We shall all be free ♪
♪ We shall all be free someday ♪
♪ Oh, oh deep in my heart ♪
♪ I do believe ♪
We shall all be free.
♪ We shall all be free ♪
♪ Someday ♪ Last verse.
We shall live in peace today.
♪ We shall live in peace ♪
♪ We shall live in peace ♪
♪ We shall live in peace today ♪
♪ Oh, oh deep in my heart ♪
♪ I do believe ♪
We shall live in peace.
♪ We shall live in peace today ♪
Amen. (audience applauding)
This concludes the 2020
Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Celebration.
Thank you. (audience applauding)
