Lyon College will honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 20, with a community luncheon and convocation. The free, public event will take place on the Lyon College campus, 2300 Highland Rd., Batesville.
At 11:30 a.m., the community will gather in Patterson Dining Hall of Edwards Commons for a luncheon and program. The event will feature keynote remarks by Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication and professor of history at Arkansas State University.
Dr. Jones-Branch, a scholar of rural, women’s, and African American history is the author of “Crossing the Line: Women and Interracial Activism in South Carolina during and after World War II” and “Better Living By Their Own Bootstraps: Black Women’s Activism in Rural Arkansas, 1913-1965.” She is also co-editor of “Arkansas Women: Their Lives and Times” and is working on her third book project, “’. . . To Make the Farm Bureau Stronger and Better for All the People:’ African Americans and the American Farm Bureau Federation: 1920-1966.”
The luncheon will also feature special music by the Lyon College Gospel Choir, a performance by the Westwind School for Performing Arts, and a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award presentation.
Dr. Jones-Branch will also speak at a Lyon College Convocation at 3 p.m. in the Nucor Auditorium in the Lyon Business and Economics Building. The public is also invited to this event.
Dr. Branndii Peterson, executive director of TRIO at Lyon College and adviser for the Lyon College Black Student Association, which hosts the event, shared, “Dr. King’s work continues to inspire us all to serve our communities and foster a more inclusive world. This event is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on his legacy and actively engage in making a difference.”
The public is invited to the complimentary luncheon and convocation event. For luncheon reservations, please RSVP using the following link: https://www.lyon.edu/mlk-day.
Image: Lyon College
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