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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Service Award

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes, 53 seconds
Accepting the Award

(L to R) Rabbi Uri Allen, myself, Cindy Hannen, Kathleen Murray, and Rabbi Paul Kerbel.

Humbled and Honored by
My Community

On the final Sunday afternoon of 2024, I stepped into the bustling New York City subway station at the World Trade Center for the number 2 train with my friend Arnold, the sounds of the city resonating around us. Excitement buzzed as we entered the subway station en route to catch the show “Welcome to the Big Dipper.” Just as I was maneuvering through the metallic turnstile, my iPhone chimed with an incoming call, slicing through the ambient noise of the underground station.

Caught in the narrow passage, I glanced back at Arnold, who waited patiently to join me on the platform as his phone was not allowing him to pay the fare. A sense of responsibility washed over me; while the call demanded my attention, I wanted to ensure that Arnold could smoothly step through the turnstile. Juggling the conversation on the phone while trying to pay his fare with my iPhone, I struggled to balance my focus between the call and my friend.

Richard, it’s Cindy. Skip and I just finished making sandwiches for the soup kitchen and thought we could meet for lunch,” she said. I asked her to hold on for a moment, and she replied, “You must not be home.” I explained that I was at the turnstile, on my way to an off-Broadway musical. Cindy and I chatted while I tried to help Arnold pay his fare. Unfortunately, I ended up exiting the turnstile instead of entering the station.

Cindy surprised me by saying, “We are calling to inform you that you have won the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award this year. Kathleen Murry nominated you.” I’m sure she said more, but there are rare occasions when I find it difficult to speak or fully absorb the information.

While on the subway, I sent Cindy and Skip a text message.

“Cindy and Skip, I am surprised and overwhelmed! I never thought this was possible; I might receive this honor. What are the logistics for the event? I want to invite my son, the rabbi, and others. Thank you!”

My message was to confirm the accuracy of what I had heard rather than inquire solely about logistics. Throughout my career, I have received numerous honors; however, the community where I live has never recognized me. Saying that I was humbled doesn’t fully capture the emotions that overwhelmed me as the train car, where Arnold and I were traveling, sped north. I didn’t mention anything to Arnold or text anyone until I exited the train and saw Skip’s message.

“I am working out the specifics, and you will receive a flyer shortly. Congratulations. You deserve every accolade possible for all the good work you have accomplished for those in need. Peace!”

Cranford Radio Interview With
Bernie Wagenblast

Six days after receiving the exciting news about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, I was still excited when an unexpected email arrived from my friend Bernie Wagenblast. She wanted to know if she could interview me for Cranford Radio. With a playful tone, she admitted that she had been holding off on reaching out until she could confirm the award news. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the surprise—I was still in disbelief about being selected!

I have been interviewed several times on Cranford Radio and have introduced Bernie to many of her interviewees. Over the past decade, we have developed a friendship. As some may know, I have been on a new phase of life’s journey since my wife passed away, and Bernie is in her third year of navigating her unique path. Life can feel like a narrow bridge, and forming bonds with other travelers is one way to live fully.

Bernie, Jo Ann and Mayor Brian Andrews
Me, Bernie, Jo Ann, and Former Mayor Brian Andrews

As Bernie mentioned in the interview, “For most of his adult life, Richard Brown has been passionate about repairing the world. His primary focus has been on addressing homelessness. In honor of his efforts, the Cranford Clergy Council and the Cranford Interfaith Human Relations Committee have chosen to present Richard with this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Award. In the podcast, I spoke with Richard about his initiatives and the impact he and his late wife, Jan, have made.

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Birnam Wood: A Novel

Read: March 2023

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Birnam Wood: A Novel

by Eleanor Catton

Birnam Wood: A Novel by Eleanor Catton is a gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries. Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its wit, drama, and immersion in character. A brilliantly constructed consideration of intentions, actions, and consequences is an unflinching examination of the human impulse to ensure our survival. I highly recommend this novel.

The review in The New Yorker and a personal recommendation made this novel my next read.

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The Goodreads summary provides an overview,

Five years ago, Mira Bunting founded a guerrilla gardening group: Birnam Wood. An undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gathering of friends, this activist collective plants crops wherever no one will notice: on the sides of roads, in forgotten parks, and in neglected backyards. For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira stumbles on an answer, a way to finally set the group up for the long term: a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass, cutting off the town of Thorndike. A natural disaster has created an opportunity, a sizable farm seemingly abandoned.

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The Jan Lilien Education Fund sponsors ongoing sustainability and environmental awareness programs. Gifts made this month; I will match dollar-for-dollar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Read: June 2024

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Beautyland: A Novel

by Marie-Helene Bertino

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Tell Me Everything: A Novel

by Elizabeth Strout

Today, I dived into “Tell Me Everything: A Novel” by Elizabeth Strout, and I’m already captivated. This book made it onto NPR’s best books list for 2024 and caught the eye of Oprah’s Book Club—no small feat! Strout writes with such empathy and emotional depth that it reflects her incredible talent. Lucy beautifully captures this sentiment by stating, “Love comes in many different forms, but it is always love.”

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When you purchase a book through one of my links, I earn a small commission that helps support my passion for reading. This contribution allows me to buy even more books to share with you, creating an incredible cycle of discovering great reads together! Your support truly makes a difference!

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How the Word is Passed

Read: December 2021

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How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

by Clint Smith

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith. This book was a gift from my son Jon. The New York Times selected How the Word is Passed as one of the best books published this year. Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks—those that are honest about the past and those that are not—that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation’s collective history, and ourselves.

How the Word is Passed is one of the best books I have read in 2021. I had read an excerpt in The Atlantic on the Whitney Plantation, one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it. Like most of us, I had placed the book on my to-read list, where it remained lost in the cobwebs. Fortunately, my son Jon purchased the book for me.

Secondly, the book rekindled my long-lost dream of being an American Studies professor. As soon as Jan and I met, I dropped plans to leave Brooklyn and start graduate school in the fall of 1974. I made that decision primarily because of how much I loved Jan. But it was also partly that I did not have a clear vision of what my life would be like as a professor. The book provided clear examples of people like Yvonne Holden at The Whitney Plantation redefining history to be more accurate and inclusive. I probably could not have done as well as she did, but I can now see that it might have resulted in a career for me that could have been impactful.

Goodreads provides this overview for those who still need to be convinced to read this book.

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Informed by scholarship and brought alive by the story of people living today, Clint Smith’s debut work of nonfiction is a landmark work of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in understanding our country.

How the Word is Passed is one of the best books I have read this year and many prior ones. I encourage you to read it and share your comments.

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Read: June 2021

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Bodily Harm

by Margaret Atwood

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I recommend this book.

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The Covenant of Water

Read: December 2023

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The Covenant of Water

by Abraham Verghese

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The Jan Lilien Education Fund sponsors ongoing sustainability and environmental awareness programs. Regarding gifts made this month, I will match dollar for dollar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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I receive a commission when you buy a book or product using a link on this page. Thank you for supporting Sharing Jan’s Love blog.

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