January 9, 2023
For Immediate Release:
Mayor’s Annual MLK Breakfast
Mayor Terence Roberts and the Anderson City Council announce the sixteenth annual “Mayor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast” to be held on Friday, January 13th at 8:30 AM at the Civic Center of Anderson.
This year’s theme is Dr. King’s Dream to End Hunger & Poverty. The keynote speaker is Serve & Connect founder, Kassy Alia Ray. The event will feature performances by Anderson University students Authenticity and Poet Jàsmine Lashae Queen.
“Dr. King believed in a world free from hunger and poverty, we must keep marching on until that dream comes true,” Mayor Terence Roberts said. “We are glad to have Dr. Alia as our keynote speaker at this annual event honoring the legacy of Dr. King.”
Kassy Alia Ray, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Serve & Connect, a nonprofit organization focused on fostering positive change through sustainable police-community partnerships. A graduate of the University of South Carolina with her doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology, Kassy founded the organization after her husband, an officer with the Forest Acres Police Department, was shot and killed in 2015. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a simple hashtag to a movement dedicated to creating change.
“When I give talks, I say my fight has been for police and community relationships,” Alia explains. “But I do think there’s a bigger message here. If we can find the strength to be open and find empathy, when we have the willingness to walk in someone’s shoes and seek understanding of the world through their eyes, that’s when we can find real solutions.”
The presenting sponsor is the City of Anderson, and the Dream Sponsor is Anderson University with additional support from Duke Energy.
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 8 AM, and breakfast will be served at 8:30 AM. The Civic Center is located at 3027 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Anderson, SC.
Please make reservations through bbell@cityofandersonsc.com, 864-231-1135, or scan QR code:
