Charlotte, N.C. / Jan. 17, 2023 – JCSU hosted the MLK Peace Breakfast on Tuesday in Grimes Lounge after a hiatus due to the pandemic.
Reinstituted by Kenyatta V. Sanders-Foreman, instructional technology librarian, and the Division of Student Affairs, the Peace Breakfast paid homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The program presented words of wisdom from speakers who informed attendees how they can continue to live the dream King longed to become a reality.
“Society is responsible for addressing inequities in our community,” said Dr. Kelley Eaves-Boykin, president and CEO of KWIN Consulting. “The time is always right to speak up and be a promoter for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).”
Eaves-Boykin is a community champion for DEI efforts. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Heritage Committee and is the president of the Queen City Ivy & Pearls Foundation, a non-profit associated with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
She spoke alongside Dr. Matthew DeForrest, JCSU’s new interim director for the Edward E. Crutchfield Center for Integrated Studies and longtime professor of English.
“Dr. King said that education has a two-fold function: utility and culture,” DeForrest said. “At JCSU and other HBCUs, we face the struggle of preparing our graduates for the future we dream of. We are here to prepare our students for more than a career. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of education.”
Following their speeches, Eaves-Boykin and DeForrest were presented with JCSU’s MLK Peace Award for their continued efforts to emulate the ideals of Dr. King, such as justice and peace.
Stephen Sullivan III ’25 hosted the breakfast program and performed Mary Mary’s “Yesterday,” and led attendees in “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem, and “We Shall Overcome.”
JCSU will continue to celebrate the life and legacy of King with a Workforce Wednesday event focusing on social justice in career development from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Millennium Dining Hall. Thursday will feature presentations of “King in His Own Words,” a digital project, throughout the day on Thursday in the library.