Military heroes, civil rights heroes and everyday heroes will assemble January 18 for the Fifth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast at Southwestern College.
Dr. Willie Blair, president and chairman of the Black American Political Association of California, will be a featured speaker.
“It is with a deep sense of humility and excitement that I have been asked by the African-American Alliance at Southwestern College to give a special tribute in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” he said. “I find this solicitation for the rendering of this marvelous tribute an absolute honor to this great man and to his enduring legacy.”
U.S. Navy captain and physician Samuel Young will be the main speaker. Young currently serves as Command Consultant and Head of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at 1st Dental Battalion/Naval Dental Center, Camp Pendleton. He has earned three gold stars, as well as the Meritorious Service Medal.
SWC Dean of Athletics Terry Davis is president of the African-American Alliance (AAA). He and Sheila Hearvey, the MLK Scholarship Event Coordinator for the AAA, are leading the planning. Davis said he wants this to be the best MLK Breakfast ever.
“It is an opportunity for the staff to connect to students with our history that sets the standards for our future,” Davis said. “The old adage of those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it is crucial for our young people because these are the people who will be our future.”
Winners of the Martin Luther King Scholarship Essay Contest will be presented scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. Noreen Maddox, Glenda McGee, Bertha “Rose” Williams and Bruce Smith of SWC’s Scholarship Committee will choose the winners.
This years’ breakfast is from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m in the Student Union East. Tickets are available at the cashier’s counter in the Cesar Chavez building or at the door for $25 ($10 for students). Sponsorship tables are available from $250 to $2,000. For more information contact Janet Polite at 619-421-6700 ext. 6321.
Breakfast will be directed by Facilities Coordinator Ursula Morris-Williams.
This article about the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Committee in the December 2012 issue of The Sun inadvertently omitted Bertha Rose Williams. Members of the committee include Miss Williams, Noreen Maddox, Glenda McGee and Bruce Smith. The Sun regrets the error.
