GIAC's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration to feature activist Desmond Meade.
The Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) will host its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Beverly J Martin School Gymnasium, 302 West Buffalo Street in Ithaca.
The theme for this years Martin Luther King Breakfast was inspired by a quote from his 1957 speech, Give Us The Ballot: “So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote, I do not possess myself.”
Executive director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Desmond Meade, will be the event's keynote speaker, chosen for his experience leading a campaign to re-enfranchise 1.4 million citizens returning to Florida.
This work landed him a spot on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
The activities center will host several educational workshops on Saturday., including “Words Have Meaning” centered around diversity equity and inclusion terminology, “Black Women’s Mental Health” will focus on the nationwide mental health impact caused by unjust killings of Black Americans, and “You Can Go Home Again,” led by Richard Rivera of Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources (OAR) of Tompkins County, which will center on the layers of injustice that convicted criminals face upon reentry into society.
Childcare, a light breakfast and a luncheon will be provided to those attending the event.
Registration for the event is required ahead of time. Visit bit.ly/giacmlk23 or call (607) 272-3622 to register.
This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: giac to host mlk jr celebration
