NKyTribune staff
The Northern Kentucky Branch, NAACP 16th Annual Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Community Outreach Luncheon takes place Monday, January 21, in Newport.
The theme for this year’s luncheon is: “We Can’t Rest Now, The Stakes Are To High”
More than 500 people attended the 2018 Northern Kentucky NAACP Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Outreach Luncheon at the Newport Syndicate (file photo).
Ursula Doyle, Professor of Law, NKU Salmon P. Chase College of Law will be the Keynote Speaker. The Mistress of Ceremonies will be Ashley Kirklen, Anchor/Reporter with WLWT TV.
The luncheon takes place once again at the Newport Syndicate, which is located at 18 East Fifth Street, Newport, Kentucky on Monday, January 21, 2019.
The event brings together citizens, elected officials and community leaders from across Northern Kentucky in remembrance of the ideals of Dr. King.
Eric H. Kearney President/CEO of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky NAACP, was the keynote speaker in 2018.
Kearney, a former state senator in Ohio, talked about the need for strong leadership in our communities, a message that many would say resonates far beyond our region today.
“We are at a crisis, in my opinion, about leadership,” Kearney said. “The succession planning in our community has not been the best. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been working so hard just to make a living that we never thought about what comes after us.”
Other traditional highlights of the luncheon in years past have included the singing of “Lift Every Voice” and the recitation of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream,” speech, by a student from the region.
In 2018, seven-year-old Dante Hall, Jr. flawlessly delivered the speech with such emotion and conviction, it brought many in the audience to tears.
Dr. King delivered the speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. At that time, he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States, goals that many believe have still not been fully achieved.
Northern Kentucky NAACP President Jerome Boles said the annual event is a reminder of what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done.
‘We are looking for many voices to help come up with solutions to overcome any obstacles that we have, to move our nation forward,” Bowles said. “Dr. King’s dream has become a reality here at the Newport Syndicate.”
To view a short video from the 2018 luncheon, click here.
The NAACP Dr. King Community Outreach Luncheon will begin at 12:00 p.m. and conclude at 2:00 p.m. The doors open at 11:15 a.m.
The Northern Kentucky Branch, NAACP will presents scholarships to students graduating from High Schools in Northern Kentucky and present the Annual Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Education Partner Award, Dr. King Corporate Award and Keeper of the Dream Award
Tickets are $40.00 and can be purchased by contacting the NAACP at 859-442-7476 or at the door the day of the luncheon.
