Columbus Holy Rosary-St. John Church, 660 S. Ohio Ave., will host its annual Martin Luther King Day celebration from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15. The featured speaker will be Dr. Andre Brown, assistant dean for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice at Ohio State University’s college of arts and sciences. Vernon Hairston will be directing the parish gospel choir.
Brown, a Holy Rosary-St. John parishioner, has worked in the student affairs departments of several universities for the past two decades. He also is the author of many scholarly publications and conference presentations on historically Black fraternities and sororities and the impact of college on Black male students.
“In my speech, I will discuss the relevance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream in contemporary times and how we, as a church community, can come together to learn and serve,” Brown said. “As King mentioned in his historic 1963 address at the Lincoln Memorial, ‘We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.'”
Holy Rosary-St. John Church has been celebrating Martin Luther King Day every year since the holiday was established in 1986, making its celebration the oldest of its type in the city of Columbus. For additional information, email hrsjevents@gmail.com or call (614) 252-5926, extension 7.