Join the Celebration: SCC Hosts Annual Dr. MLK Jr. Unity Breakfast and Community Celebration with Notable Speakers

Published on Jan 4, 2024

Upcoming events to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day will feature two distinguished Kentucky speakers—Dr. Marty Mills and Rev. Norman Franklin. Both events are sponsored by Somerset Community College (SCC).

The annual Dr. MLK Unity Breakfast will be held Friday, January 12. The event will feature Rev. Norman Franklin, who is an ordained Baptist minister, a U.S. Air Force Veteran, a writer for over five newspaper publications with a book in the works, and retired VP/CFO of the Urban League of Lexington after a 37-year career. This event will be held at 8:30 a.m. on SCC’s Somerset Campus in the Meece Hall Auditorium. Reservations are required by emailing Elaine A. Wilson, SCC’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or by calling (606) 451-6915 to leave a message. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, January 10.

 

A Community Celebration will be held Sunday, January 14, and will feature Dr. Marty Mills, originally from Somerset, KY, who currently serves as the Director of Systems and Processes in the Office of Human Resources at Fayette County Schools central office. This role came after 21 years as a classroom teacher, associate principal, and head principal. Dr. Marty Mills has a passion for education and community with two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree from the University of Kentucky along with an additional master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University. His doctorate was received from Morehead University in Education Administration. The Community Celebration event is open to the public and will be held at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church (FBC), 128 North Main Street, Somerset.

 

These two community events hosted by SCC will complement other Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations in the community of Somerset.

The community is invited to participate in the Unity Community choir to perform the song “The Gift of Love,” at the Community celebration on the 14th at FBC in Somerset. Those who would like to participate are encouraged to attend rehearsal on January 11 in the FBC Choir Room at 7 p.m. The choir will be led by Steve Hall of Beacon Hill Baptist Church.

Additionally, The Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March will take place at 11 a.m. in downtown Somerset on January 15. The march will begin at Davis Chapel AME Church on Main Street and will travel to The Virginia Theatre on East Mount Vernon Avenue, where there will be a screening of the movie “Selma.”

Wilson stated that there are over twenty years of history behind these community-treasured events.

“The celebrations have grown and flourished over the years,” Wilson reflected. “SCC is pleased to continue to sponsor these very important celebrations that continue to bring our community together in peace and love that was exhibited by Dr. King himself.”