INSIDE HRCP

Annual Celebration

On Friday, January 13th, Derek Okubo received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Award for his leadership in engaging the community and for his advocacy of human rights. Okubo, the Executive Director for Denver Human Rights & Community Partnerships, received the award along with several other giants in the Denver community, including: Music Pioneer Charles Burrell, Internationally acclaimed Sculptor—Ed Dwight, Hate Free Colorado a coalition dedicated to countering hate crimes in Colorado , internationally acclaimed artist Emanuel Martinez, the Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce a longtime economic development advocate for the Native American community, and Trailblazer Award recipient Charleszine Nelson, the Head Librarian at Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library and a key steward of Denver’s African American history and culture.

Each year, the MLK Business Awards are presented to individuals, corporations and non-profit organizations for their exceptional community service endeavors in honor and memory of Dr. King. In 2007, the Trailblazer Award was added to recognize pioneers in the civil rights movement in Colorado.

Since 2011, Derek has served as Mayor Hancock’s Executive Director to the Human Rights & Community Partnerships Agency. In that role, Derek has grown the agency to become an irreplaceable asset for the city when it comes to engaging the residents—who are the city’s customers! As Derek ends his tenure after three terms in the position, the new mayor will be hard pressed to find a better advocate for human rights and community partnerships.

Congratulations, Derek!