January 12, 2006

Annual program honors Martin Luther King Jr.

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale will host the annual breakfast honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16.

The Carbondale chapter of the NAACP sponsors the event, which dates to 1984. The breakfast is from 7 to 9 a.m. and the program starts at 9 a.m. There is a $3 entry fee for the general public, SIUC faculty, staff and students. Tickets are available at the door. University students who wish to dine without paying for the program may go to Trueblood Hall and use their meal plan.

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Media Advisory

Reporters, photographers and camera crews are welcome to cover this University-community event.

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Chancellor Walter V. Wendler will be among the guest speakers. Jessica June Davis, director of law student development at the SIUC law school, will present the keynote address, "Keeping the Dream Alive."

The program will include recognition of winners from the Martin Luther King Essay Contest for area students in fifth grade through high school.

Celebrating diversity is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.

For more information on Monday's program, contact Carlton Smith, president of the Carbondale NAACP chapter, at 618/521-8647.