“Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

What would Martin Luther King, Jr. say about the present state of America? He had a dream for freedom, opportunity, and justice for all. In a turbulent time in America’s history, King was a voice of change, a voice of reason, a voice of vision.

On Jan. 18, the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Ministerial Council will celebrate that voice, that dream and that vision at the 17th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast. The event will be held at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center from 7:30 -10 a.m.

The guest speaker at the prayer breakfast will be Fayetteville State University’s Chancellor James A. Anderson. Anderson came to FSU in June 2008 from the University of Albany in New York where he served as vice president for student success and vice provost for institutional assessment and diversity. He was also a professor in the department of psychology.

“I think it is important to talk about not only the vision and the kind of framework that Dr. King addressed, but to talk about it both in its historical context and how we need to almost retranslate his language to talk about it in the 21st century,” said Anderson. “We have young people and more diverse groups who may not understand the original context of Dr. King’s message.”

Anderson added that one of the things he wants to focus on in his message is Fayetteville as a community and what it means in the context of a message like Dr. King’s and other great leaders to come together as a community to be successful in terms of our economic and human rights transformation.

“I was honored to be asked by the Minister’s Council to serve as the speaker of the prayer breakfast because that’s a group I think so highly of,” said Anderson. “I am glad that there has been such a good response in terms of people who want to participate in this event.”

Individual tickets are $18. Corporate and group sponsorships are available. For more information call 672-1474 or 868-9640.