CCEJ's 21st Annual Interfaith/Intercultural Breakfast February 23, 2012

This year, Gene Lentzner will mark his 90th birthday. With this milestone comes 90 years of human relations and social justice history in our country. Through a lifetime of experiences Gene has been witness to and participated in countless historic events.

Gene grew up in an Italian/Catholic neighborhood in St. Louis in the 20’s and 30’s and served in WWII, liberating the survivors of the Nazi death camps. Following the war, Gene obtained an MBA from Harvard but was only able to partially work his way up the corporate ladder due to the religious discrimination that prevailed in the 40’s and 50’s.

Finally becoming a successful business owner during the civil rights era Gene, has actually lived some of America’s history.

An accomplished pianist, heralded speaker, voracious reader and the social conscience of the community, Gene brings a lifetime of stories and lessons learned along the way.

Gene has been in the trenches for over 60 years promoting racial, religious and cultural understanding at a time when his efforts were often met with great resistance. His exceptional work in the area of human relations at a grass roots level was the impetus for the establishment of the Gene Lentzner Human Relations Award. One of the most respected human relations advocates in our city, Gene is the essence of the mission of CCEJ and he lives his life accordingly.

For more information, please visit our website or call (562) 435-8184 or e-mail us at [email protected].

Official Website: http://www.cacej.org/events/21st-interfaith-intercultural-breakfast.html