On Saturday, January 14, 2023, The Sidney B. Parker chapter presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Brunch. The theme of the brunch was Facing our Fears and Catching our dreams. The keynote speaker was Dr. Geraldine Smith-Baker, a native of Jacksonville. She received her Doctor of Education degree from the University of North Florida.
She spoke of our dreams that can be overwhelming, are uncertain, self-doubting, and scary. But we cannot let anything stand in the way of our dreams. Fear is a means of letting others control our actions. The speaker let us know how Dr. King demonstrated to us the importance of conquering fears for equality for all God’s people.
We listened to our two amazing soloist Beverly Rivers, an author, vocalist, and Luvenia Exon, a native of Jacksonville, a member of St. Philip’s and former Senior Warden. Our musicians Cedric Williams. Edward Witsell and Joseph Morrison played as a trio during the Brunch. All the participants in this event made a wonderful impression on over fifty-five people that attended the brunch.
We would like to acknowledge others who gave their support to the program: The Very Reverend Kate Moorehead Carroll, Kathryn Bissette, Nancy Purcell, Athlene Jones, and Liesl Gavronsky-Howsarc who prepared the food for the Brunch.