10th Annual Kennedy King Gala
2025 Event Program
Chair’s Message
Dear Friends and Fellow Democrats,
On behalf of the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee, it is my absolute honor to welcome you to our 10th Annual Kennedy King Gala.
A decade. For ten years, we have gathered under the banners of two of America’s most transformative leaders—President John F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This milestone is a powerful testament to the enduring strength of their vision and to the unwavering commitment of this community. We are here tonight not just to celebrate their legacies, but to actively carry them forward.
President Kennedy challenged a generation to serve, while Dr. King bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. Both men, though different in their paths, shared a profound belief in a more hopeful, more inclusive, and more just America. They understood that progress is not inevitable; it is earned through courage, conviction, and collective action.
That is the spirit that fills this room tonight. It is the spirit that drives our tireless volunteers who knock on doors, our grassroots organizers who build coalitions, and our Democratic candidates who step up to fight for our shared values. Right here in Hillsborough County, we are putting those ideals into practice—working to build a community where every family has the opportunity to thrive, every voice is heard, and every person is treated with dignity.
As we celebrate our honorees and enjoy this evening of fellowship, let us also recommit ourselves to the work ahead. The challenges we face are significant, but our resolve is stronger. Let this evening be a source of inspiration that fuels our efforts to organize, mobilize, and elect Democrats up and down the ballot.
Thank you for your generosity, your dedication, and your belief in our shared mission. The work continues, and with your support, we will build a better future for all.
Please take a moment to consider how you can become an even more integral part of this movement. Whether by supporting financially, volunteering your time, or inviting others to do the same, we need your help.
As President Kennedy once said: “united, there is little we cannot do”. Thank you for standing with us.
In solidarity,
Vanessa Lester, Chair, Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee
Order of Events
Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation
Acknowledgement of Electeds
Welcome from the Chair
Dinner Served
Greeting from the FDP Chair
Presentation of the Helen Gordon Davis Award
Acknowledgement of Sponsors
Guest Speaker Former Governor and SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley
Guest Speaker DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta
Presentation of Monroe Mack Award
Closing Remarks
With GRATITUDE to OUr Sponsors
Former SociAl Security Commissioner & Maryland Governor
Martin O’Malley
Martin O’Malley is a proven champion for everyday Americans with a record of transformational leadership at the city, state, and federal level. He recently launched “Win Back Our Country” - an organization dedicated to protecting Social Security.
In 2023, O’Malley was appointed by President Biden to serve as Social Security Commissioner where he inherited an agency with a customer service crisis in steep decline. Under his leadership, the agency turned around with two-thirds shorter call times, fewer dollars spent on overtime, and higher morale among employees.
As Governor of Maryland, he delivered on an unrivaled record of progressive accomplishments such as providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants and legalizing same-sex marriage. As Mayor of Baltimore, he increased transparency in government by using people-centered data that became a national model for public safety.
Prior to being elected Mayor, O'Malley served as a member of the Baltimore City Council from 1991-1999 and Assistant State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore before that.
Martin O'Malley graduated from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., in 1985, and earned his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1988.
Pennsylvania General Assembly Member & Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Malcolm Kenyatta
Representative Malcolm Kenyatta is a third-generation North Philadelphia native and legislator currently serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He earned a B.A. in Public Communications and a minor in
Political Science from Temple University, an M.S. in Strategic and Digital Communications from Drexel University, and completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executives in State and Local Government program.
In 2023, he was appointed by President Joe Biden to chair the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.
Representative Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest people elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 2018. In 2022, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to seek a U.S. Senate seat in American history. In April 2024, he made history again as the first openly LGBTQ+ person ever nominated for statewide office by a major political party in Pennsylvania when he became the Democratic nominee for Auditor General. In the general election, he earned nearly 3.1 million votes, the second-highest vote total for any Democrat on the ticket that year. In February 2025 he was elected as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Throughout his career, Representative Kenyatta has been a vocal proponent of protecting workers’ rights and rooting out government corruption and waste. He holds multiple legislative leadership roles, including as a member of the powerful State Government Committee with oversight of state agencies and elections, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations; Chair of the Financial Services and Banking Subcommittee in the Commerce Committee; and as a member of the Finance and Judiciary Committees. In September of 2025, he walked from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, a 105 mile journey, to bring awareness to mass transit funding in Pennsylvania. Senate Republicans have refused to fund mass transit across the Commonwealth, stalling a budget bill from being signed into law.
In 2020, he was chosen to give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention alongside a group of other ‘Rising Stars,’ and in 2024, he returned to the DNC as an individual speaker, continuing to represent the next generation of Democratic leadership. His groundbreaking political career and personal life have been the subject of two award-winning documentaries, including an Al Roker-produced feature-length film, Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn.
Representative Kenyatta lives in North Philadelphia with his husband, Dr. Matthew Kenyatta, and their dog, Cleo.