Ask anyone who the most famous civil rights leader is and you’ll almost always get the same answer: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The City of Columbus will celebrate the life and legacy of the late MLK, Jr. with its 35th annual Birthday Breakfast. The event is the largest of its kind to honor this civil rights martyr and will take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on Jan. 20.
Along with a delicious morning meal, guests will experience performances from Capriccio Columbus, Opera Project Columbus and the Columbus Children’s Choir Santa Maria Choir. Breakfast-goers will also listen to three youth speakers – one from Morehouse College, Dr. King’s alma mater; the winner of the Columbus City-Wide MLK Youth Oratorical Contest; and a local seventh-grader, Alana Casto.
All three will give phenomenal speeches, but we’re particularly excited about Casto’s address. Currently attending Columbus Gifted Academy, Casto lives up the “gifted” title. A 4.0 GPA student, she was selected out of eight middle school finalists throughout Columbus. Casto is brave of sharing her beliefs and has proven herself as an advocate against injustice. The theme of her speech is “Keep Moving Forward,” which matches the theme of the breakfast. She is sure to impress and touch the hearts of those in attendance.
One of the main highlights of the event is keynote speaker Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. Beatty has represented the Columbus community as a representative of Ohio’s Third Congressional District. She has dedicated much of her life to fighting against inequality and sponsors an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Aside from being the first female Democratic House Leader in Ohio’s history, Beatty was named one of Ebony Magazine’s 150 most powerful African Americans. She is also known to advocate better education and affordable housing.
The event will take place on Jan. 20. Doors open at 7 a.m. and meals are served at 7:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online here. And of course, all are welcome.
Brendan Martin is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome in the comments.
