USM Alumnus Rushing Guest Presenter for Martin Luther King Jr. Ecumenical and Scholarship Breakfast Jan. 16 on Hattiesburg Campus

Fri, 01/06/2023 - 10:49am | By: David Tisdale

The 17^th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ecumenical and Scholarship Breakfast will be held Monday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 a.m. in the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. Admission is free and all members of the university and Hattiesburg communities are invited.

Hosted by the Mu Xi and Mu Gamma Lambda Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the breakfast program will include a presentation of awards by the organization to include its Community Service, Community Impact, Humanitarian, Douglass T. Baker and Friend of Alpha Phi Alpha awards; textbook scholarships will also be presented to academically talented local high school seniors planning to attend college in the fall. 

Kelsey Rushing, Jr., who serves as Capital Defender for Mississippi’s Office of the State Public Defender, will be the keynote speaker for the event. The Carthage, Mississippi native is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from USM, and a law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. He is the current president of the USM Foundation.   

Dr. Eddie Holloway, chair of the MLK Jr. Breakfast Program Committee and Dean of Students Emeritus at USM, said he and his fraternity brothers are elated to bring the event back to campus, after Covid-19 restrictions prevented it from being in-person the past three years.

“We have truly missed hosting this event on campus, which has been a popular way for our community to not only honor a great American in Dr. King but usher in a new year with prayer and fellowship,” Dr. Holloway. “Our fraternity welcomes everyone to join us for a delicious meal and words of inspiration from Mr. Rushing, and to honor local residents whose work and contributions help make Hattiesburg one of America’s great cities.” 

For information on how to support this event through sponsorships, or to donate to its textbook scholarship fund, contact Dr. Holloway at eddie.hollowayFREEMississippi.