Update: Due to scheduling conflicts the Banquet will now be held on Monday, Feb. 18.

Cameron University and Cameron Campus Ministry will host their annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Banquet on Monday, Jan. 21. The Banquet will be held in the Aggie Rec Center at 6:30 p.m., and Myrlie Evers-Williams will be presenting the keynote address.

Evers-Williams will hold a discussion featuring her book “Us, The Living,” before the banquet at the McCasland Ballroom in the McMahon Centennial Complex at 5 p.m. that same day. She became a figure in the civil rights movement after the assassination of her husband Medgar Evans in 1963.

Medgar fought in Europe during World War II and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a sergeant. He was also the first field secretary in Mississippi for the NAACP. In this position he helped organize boycotts and set up local NAACP chapters.

After overcoming her husband’s death, Evers-Williams became a symbol of courage and perseverance, steadfast in her march towards social justice. She made history in becoming the first female chairperson to lead the NAACP.

Evers-Williams then worked hard to restore the image of the organization and also to get it out of debt.

Once her term as chairperson of the NAACP ended, Evers-Williams founded the Medgar Evers Institute to promote education, training, and economic development while exposing new generations of students to the cause for which her husband died.

Evers-Williams wishes to infuse the youth of today with hope, tolerance and understanding the struggles our nation has faced.

“If we can help them understand the past and encourage them to creatively address today’s human rights challenges, they will be in a much better position to help shape the future,” Evers-Williams said.

Volunteers are also needed to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

This year Cameron University needs 400 volunteers to provide service in the Lawton-Fort Sill community.

Those wanting to participate can fill out a web form at www.cameron.edu/mlkcelebration/dayofservice or call the Student Activities Office at 580.581.2217

Tickets for the celebration banquet will be $30 for adults and $15 for students. Evers-Williams book discussion is free and will be open to the public. The purchase deadline for tickets is Friday, Jan 11.

For more information, contact Cameron Campus Ministry at 580.357.7226.

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