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Somerset plans three events to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Various groups in Somerset have planned three events in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The first will be the Second Annual Unity Breakfast sponsored by the Office for Cultural Diversity at Somerset Community College beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18 in the Harold Rogers Student Commons Grill on the SCC Somerset Campus. The second event will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20 in the Somerset High School Auditorium with guest speaker Bill Wilson. The third event will be a symbolic march on Monday, Jan. 21, beginning at 2 p.m. from Davis Chapel AME Church to the Dunbar Intergenerational Center on South Maple St. Kentucky Secretary of Finance and Administration Jonathan Miller will speak at that event.
The Somerset Community College Unity Breakfast in the Student Commons’ Grill on the SCC Somerset Campus will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18. The keynote speaker will be Andrew Baskin, Associate Professor of African-American Studies at Berea College. This year's theme will center on Dr. King's idea that service equals greatness as outlined in his speech "The Drum Major Instinct". Excerpts from Dr. King's speech may be heard at www.thekingcenter.org and provides a powerful message. A free breakfast will be provided and the public is invited to attend.
Baskin has been teaching at Berea since 1983. He received his BA degree from Berea in 1972 and his MA degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1975. He is the editor of The Griot, the journal of the Southern Conference on African American Studies, and the vice-chair of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission. In 2002, for his work as a voice for social justice and religious concerns on the Berea Campus and in the larger community, he received the Elizabeth Perry Miles Award for Community Service from Berea College
The Annual Somerset Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday Celebration will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, beginning at 3 p.m. in the Somerset High School Auditorium. The guest speaker will be Bill Wilson, the Deputy Executive Director of Education and Outreach at Kentucky Educational Television (KET).
Wilson is responsible for the delivery of instructional television services to over 600,000 school children and 40,000 teachers in all 176 school districts in Kentucky. Additionally, Wilson is responsible for the distance learning activities of the network.
A native of Lexington, Wilson received his bachelor's degree in history and political science from Kentucky State University in 1967 and master's in educational psychology and counseling from the University of Kentucky in August 1968.
Wilson is active in numerous local, state, and national organizations and has received several honors for his contributions in the field of adult and continuing education.
Wilson received the Award for Excellence from the Kentucky Literacy Commission in 1992, and he received the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Outreach from the National GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education in 1993. Most recently (1997), Wilson received the Charles W. Anderson, Jr. Award for achievements in promoting equal employment opportunities and the Lauren K. Weinberg Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice for community service (1998).
Wilson enjoys sports (tennis), reading, and music; he is married and is the father of a son.
Organizers also announced the formation of the M. L. King Unity Choir, which will perform at the Somerset High School event. Organizers invite the participation of youth and seasoned vocalists. The next choir rehearsal has been set for Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. at Somerset High School. It is not too late to participate in the Unity Choir. This year the choir will be directed by Mr. Chase Moore. Chase assisted with the development of the Unity Choir earlier this year.
On Monday, Jan. 21, marchers will gather at the Davis Chapel AME Church located on North Main St. at 2 p.m. Plans call for participants to march from the church to the Dunbar Intergenerational Center located on South Maple St., where a brief commemorative program will take place. The guest speaker for the event will be Kentucky Secretary for the Finance and Administration Cabinet Jonathan Miller.
Jonathan Miller, 38, is a native of Lexington and a graduate of Henry Clay High School and Harvard College and Law School. He was first elected Kentucky State Treasurer in November 1999. He was re-elected in 2003. On November 10, 2007, Governor-elect Steve Beshear appointed Miller to the position of Secretary for the Finance and Administration Cabinet.
Jonathan authored the book "The Compassionate Community," a book that examines religious, particularly Judeo-Christian, values, and how they relate to politics. Former vice-president Al Gore wrote the foreword. The book received good reviews from senators such as Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman, as well as many religious leaders.
