Councilmember von Reichbauer awards Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service to Terrell Dorsey

June 11, 2024

King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer on Tuesday awarded Terrell Dorsey with the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “What are you doing for others?”

“At a time of increasing rates of truancy and juvenile crime, Terrell Dorsey and his organization are working tirelessly to stem this tide,” von Reichbauer said. “Terrell is an example of what happens when you combine second chances with accountability, and I could not be more pleased to honor his work with this award.”

In 2008, Dorsey, a proponent of inspiring youth to positively engage in their future, launched Unleash The Brilliance, an organization that aims to create a safe space for youth to honestly evaluate the choices and behaviors that impact their future, and to empower them with tools to make decisions that avoid unnecessary pitfalls.

A cornerstone of that work is to keep kids in school, work that Dorsey has done through partnerships with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and King County School Districts. Unleash The Brilliance’s unique use of teen peers and adult mentors provides a one-of-a-kind relationship that creates a culture that invites participation of students struggling with challenging situations.

Dorsey describes the year he founded UTB as one of self-realization and self-liberation, and has poured himself into the organization since then.

This marks the ninth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.