The annual leadership awards luncheon, now called the Inaugural Thomas “Tank” Strickland Leadership Awards Luncheon honors businesses and people who have made a difference in the community. The luncheon is part of the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission of Greater Knoxville celebration, the largest consortium of MLK events in East Tennessee. The keynote speaker will be journalist and author Roland S. Martin, the host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily online show focused on news and analysis of politics, entertainment, sports and culture from an explicitly African American perspective. Martin has been named four times by Ebony Magazine as one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in the United States.

Free parking is available in the G-10 lot near Thompson-Boling Arena; guests also will be provided with shuttle service to the Student Union.