Who in Our midst Is the next Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University and the Delaware County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee invite everyone to examine “Who in Our midst Is the next MLK?” during the 2015 observance of what would have been the Civil Rights leader’s 86th birthday.
The observance will begin with the 30th annual Delaware-area worship service at 3 p.m. Jan. 18, 2015, at William Street United Methodist Church, 28 W. William St.
Beryl D. Anderson, J.D.
During the worship service, Beryl D. Anderson, J.D., will discuss today’s youth and tomorrow’s history-makers. Anderson is a former international communications director for Rosa Parks, whose refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 spurred the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation. In 1999, Parks was included on TIME magazine’s list of “The Most Influential People of the 20th Century.”
In addition to helping share Parks’ legacy, Anderson is a former C-SPAN television personality and producer, covering the U.S. Supreme Court and related White House/Congressional issues. In addition, she is the first African American TV journalist to be part of the Supreme Court Press Corps; a former president of the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; a member of the National Press Club; and a former Ohio deputy secretary of state – then state government’s highest-ranking African American female. Anderson also served three terms on Gahanna City Council and currently is president of her own media, business, and consulting company.
Delaware’s Martin Luther King Jr. observance will continue at 7:45 a.m. Jan. 19, 2015, with the 22nd annual MLK Breakfast Celebration in the Benes Room of Ohio Wesleyan’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave.
Jennette B. Bradley
Jennette B. Bradley, the first African American woman in the nation elected as a state lieutenant governor, will deliver the keynote address. Bradley served as Ohio’s lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2005, during which time she worked to strengthen the relationship between small businesses and government, as well as to provide affordable housing. Bradley also served as Ohio’s 45th state treasurer from 2005 to 2007, making her responsible for the collection, management, and investment of $11 billion in state funds.
Bradley served as a member of Columbus City Council for 11 years, focusing on neighborhood safety. Before entering public service, she was a senior vice president at Huntington National Bank and CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority – the first African American and first woman to hold this position. Bradley currently operates a consulting business, J. Bradley Partners LLC.
The MLK Celebration Breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m., followed by the program at 8:30 a.m. Individual breakfast buffet tickets are $20, with eight-person table sponsorships available for $160. A printable reservation form is available online at www.owu.edu/MLK2015.pdf. Reservation forms and payment are requested before Jan. 15, 2015. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door. For questions, contact Rosalind Scott, celebration committee chair, at (740) 368-3386 or rdscott@owu.edu.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.