Georgia College & State University hosted its King’s Breakfast Jan. 16 to honor the living legacy of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event was made possible with the help of GCSU faculty and staff, and MLK committee members.
The King’s Breakfast began at 7:30 a.m. in the Magnolia Ballroom, on the GCSU campus, where guests were invited to participate in a small gallery walk around the ballroom. To honor King’s legacy, local students participated in an art and essay contest to show how Martin Luther King Jr. impacted the world and local community.
The artwork on display was created by local students Wade Rich, Madison Hunt, and Annabell Jones. For the writing contest, Deputy Chief of Georgia College Maj. Brian Feese invited poetry middle school contest winner Ava King and high school speech competition winner London Eldridge onto the stage to read their submissions.
Following the readings, Baldwin County Superintendent Dr.
Kristina Brooks honored the winners with certificates.
Once the awards were given out, Charlemagne Gholson performed a heartfelt musical performance of Queen Latifah’s “I Know Where You’ve Been.” Gholson stated the gospel-style song is impactful as it represents the challenges in the world. Following this performance, keynote speaker Demetrius Nelson, Georgia College & State University alumnus and former vice president of the African American Alumni Council for the school, gave his speech called “The Blueprint.”
Nelson shared how the steps of Dr. King and other prominent civil rights activists paved a path for a community to strive on and make it farther in making changes. They created a blueprint that people can follow to change the world.
“Their legs went the distance so we can go just a little farther,” he continued. “So it was Dr. King’s legacy that opened the door that encouraged the legacy that we had to improve our campus and desegregate it.”
This was the first of multiple events that occurred in Baldwin County to honor the Jan.
19 Martin Luther King Jr.
Day of Service.
— Photos courtesy of The Baldwin County School District’s Eric Jones