Martin Luther King Day celebration a week away
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 8, 2018 5:50 AM
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Keynote speaker Addie Wright Thomason is president and CEO of Second Act Communities, a Virginia nonprofit that previously sought to develop a housing project in downtown Goldsboro.
A social justice advocate and community organizer will be the guest speaker at the 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Luncheon in Goldsboro.
The Jan. 15 event will be at noon at the First Pentecostal Holiness Church, at 1100 The First Church Road. The luncheon, hosted by the city of Goldsboro and Wayne County, is open to the public, with a $15 admission price.
"The theme for the 2018 MLK celebration is 'Follow His Footsteps ... Live the Dream Together,'" said Shycole Simpson-Carter, Goldsboro community relations director.
"The celebration will highlight Dr. King's efforts and beliefs of unity, investing in cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue for the human race."
The keynote speaker this year is Addie Wright Thomason, president and chief executive officer of Second Act Communities, a Virginia nonprofit that previously sought to develop a large-scale housing project in downtown Goldsboro, and the Virginia Beach Community Development Corp.
Thomason, a graduate of Duke University and the North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill, previously worked as the executive vice president of the Chicago Housing Authority. She was also named as one of the 2015 Hampton Roads Business Women of the Year.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon, which will include comments from elected officials and music, typically draws several hundred people each year.
The event, previously held at the Goldsboro-Raleigh District Assembly, Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ International headquarters, was moved to the First Pentecostal Church to accommodate upwards of 375 people, Simpson-Carter said.
"The change in venue space accommodates the large event attendance that the annual MLK celebration brings out," Simpson-Carter said.
Tickets can be purchased early from the Goldsboro Community Relations Department, in City Hall, 214 N. Center St., through today.
Tickets will also be sold at the door, but supplies will be limited due to the popularity of the luncheon.