Every year, Carlsbad’s Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Foundation puts together a wonderful program in January. This year’s program is going to be especially exciting. The three-day celebration includes a fundraiser banquet, a church observance and the annual freedom march.
This year’s fundraiser banquet will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, and the keynote speaker will be Nicole Nelson-Jean, who is the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations for the Office of Environmental Management, the branch of the Department of Energy that oversees WIPP. Nelson-Jean has also been a major supporter of efforts to develop additional programs at Carlsbad’s Southeast New Mexico College.
Banquet tickets and tables made be obtained through donations. MLK Board members will have tickets, and tickets can also be purchased online at https://carlsbadfoundation.org/mlk/
The annual Church Observance will take place this year at 2:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 112 N. Alameda. Thank you very much to Howell Scott, Kevin Pence and everyone at First Baptist for agreeing to host this year. It’s a wonderful event because members of different church choirs come together to sing. Rehearsals will be on Jan. 12 and Jan. 14.
This year’s MLK Freedom March will begin at 10 a.m. Monday Jan. 16 with a lineup at the Eddy County Courthouse. Breakfast burritos will be provided to marchers, who will then walk to Martin Luther King Jr. Park. There will be a short ceremony after the march at MLK Park with Carlsbad Municipal Schools board member David Lewis serving as master of ceremonies.
There’s going to be a very special activity this year after the ceremony called a Kuumba Festival. This will include drum classes beginning at 1 p.m. and running through 5 p.m., where a troop from Albuquerque will perform. Food trucks and vendors will also be available.
There’s an essay contest this year that has been distributed to junior high students. Prize money is going to be given out to the winners, and essays are due Jan. 4. You can also submit a drawing. Please visit the Foundation’s web page if you want more information.
One of the Martin Luther King Jr’s primary functions is to serve as a scholarship agency, and scholarships are given out every year. Donations to the organization’s scholarship fund and demand fund can be made through the Foundation’s web page and are greatly appreciated.
Carlsbad’s MLK Jr. Scholarship Committee has awarded scholarships for more than 30 years. We certainly appreciate their continued effort.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway