2024 MLK BREAKFAST THEME & SPEAKER ANNOUNCED

CRISPUS ATTUCKS COMMUNITY CENTER TO WELCOME BAKARI SELLERS TO LANCASTER

Lancaster, Pa. – Democracy is a core tenant upon which the United States was founded. And despite a founding document that declares that all men are created equal, the reality in our nation – from its founding to present day – is that inequality is rampant and shows up in every institution and system we encounter.

The annual Crispus Attucks Community Center MLK Breakfast is a time for the community to come together, to foster relationships, to dialogue around the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to confront issues of inequity and injustice. This event, the Center’s largest fundraiser, annually raises $100,000 in critical funds for the Center, nearly 1/3 of the its yearly budget.

On Monday, Jan. 15, to celebrate the 36^th annual MLK Breakfast, we will welcome Bakari Sellers to Lancaster for “Activating the Promise of Democracy.”

ABOUT OUR FEATURED SPEAKER:

Mr. Sellers is a two-time NY Times best-selling author, civil rights activist, attorney, entrepreneur, legislator, and overall prolific voice of the culture. While his father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, helped shape movements working alongside Stokely Carmichael, Bayard Rustin, and Malcolm X, Bakari has come into his own helping to write the blueprint for today’s movements with the likes of Rep. James Clyburn, Attorney Benjamin Crump, and President Barack Obama. Mr. Sellers entered Morehouse College at the age of 16, and he went on to graduate from the University of South Carolina Law School and became the youngest-ever legislator in the South Carolina state legislature at 22. He has written two books: My Vanishing Country, a memoir, and Who Are Your People?, a children’s book. Sellers is attorney with Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina, where he heads the firm’s Strategic Communication and Public Affairs team and the DEI Consulting practice. He also hosts The Bakari Sellers Podcast and is a CNN analyst.

ABOUT OUT THEME:

Activating the Promise of Democracy speaks to Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, in which he declared “Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy.” In a country that often cites democracy as its most important founding principle, and with 2024 being a presidential election year, engagement of all people in community, civics, and voting can make a true difference both for today and for generations to come. This event will ignite a full year of conversations to ensure Lancaster Countians work together to activate the promise of democracy that Dr. King championed.

Sponsorships are currently available and benefit the important work of the Center. For sponsorship information, please contact Kristy Aurand, kaurand@caplanc.org or 717.299.7388 ext.3032.

Tickets are on sale now at www.caplanc.org/MLK or by contacting Kristy Aurand.

Because we believe that all supporters of the Crispus Attucks Community Center deserve access to the MLK Breakfast fundraiser, regardless of the amount they can give, we’re offering three different ticket options for the 2024 MLK Breakfast, in the spirit of access and inclusion. These ticket options include:

• $75 in-person ticket: This traditionally-priced breakfast ticket gains you access to the in-person event at Millersville University on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, and supports all the programs and services at the Crispus Attucks Community Center. All ticket revenue goes to the Center. Tables of 10 are also available for $750.
• $25 livestream ticket: Because we received positive feedback on the convenience of the virtual MLK Breakfast, we wanted to offer that remote accessibility to the community again this year – just with a simplified livestream rather than a full virtual production. You will receive a link to the livestream, which will be available only during the live event, and a link to the digital program. The entire ticket fee goes to the Center.
• Pay-what-you-will in-person ticket (suggested $25 minimum payment): This breakfast ticket gives you the option of selecting the payment most appropriate for your budget, whether it is lower or higher than the standard $75 ticket. This option gives you access to the in-person event at Millersville University on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, and every dollar goes to the Center.

WHO’S WHO:

The volunteer MLK Breakfast Committee is made up of the following individuals:

• Joshua Hunter, Community Action Partnership, Crispus Attucks Director
• Adam Aurand, School District of Lancaster
• Arelis Perez, Community Action Partnership
• Brian Nguyen, Community Action Partnership
• Darryl Gordon, The High Companies
• Evita Colon, Speak to My Soul/A Concrete Rose
• Jodie Richardson, Magisterial District Judge
• Kimberly Fletcher, Family First Health
• Kristen Munro, The High Companies
• Kristy Aurand, Community Action Partnership
• Dr. Leroy Hopkins, Millersville University
• Lydia Yeager, Millersville University
• Nakiyah Parris, WGAL-TV
• Vanessa Philbert, Community Action Partnership
• Willonda McCloud, Brightside Opportunities Center

This year’s Honorary Chair is Robin Stauffer, High Foundation. The event will be emceed by Jeremy Jenkins, WGAL-TV.

About Crispus Attucks Community Center

Since the late 1920s, the Crispus Attucks Community Center has been an anchor in Southeast Lancaster City. The Center takes immense pride in its mission to improve the quality of life for youth and families in Lancaster by providing services that promote community prosperity, physical and mental health, and by offering programs and cultural events which preserve and celebrate the African American heritage. The Center is named for Crispus Attucks, a Black man who was the first American killed in the Revolutionary War, of whom the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “He is one of the most important

figures in African American history, not for what he did for his own race but for what he did for all oppressed people everywhere. He is a reminder that the African American heritage is not only African but American and it is a heritage that begins with the beginning of America.”

About Community Action Partnership

The Community Action Partnership is Lancaster County’s largest anti-poverty organization, helping income-constrained families move toward economic empowerment. CAP’s service profile interrupts generational poverty with programs that support families and individuals at every age and place in life, in the areas of education and child development, health and nutrition, household stability and safety and empowerment. For more information, visit www.caplanc.org.