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Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Mississippi State celebrated its 30th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast with students, faculty and staff, joined by community members, clergy and elected officials, filling the event room, despite looming winter weather.

Supported by numerous sponsors, the event is hosted annually by MSU's Division of Access, Opportunity and Success. Keynote speaker Camille Scales Young, a two-time Ļć½¶Ö±²„alumna who serves as principal and director with Cornerstone Government Affairs, gave remarks reflecting on Kingā€™s legacy and ways to carry his dream forward.Ā 

ā€œI am grateful for this gathering and inspired to see all of you as we gather to commemorate the legacy of a man who dedicated his life to justice, equality, and the relentless pursuit of a dream,ā€ Young said. ā€œOn this special day, we honor not only the memory of the dreamer, but we also focus on continuing his efforts for the betterment of mankind and making his dream a reality.ā€

Young referenced several of Kingā€™s notable quotes that continue to inspire both those who worked during the Civil Rights Movement as well as younger generations.

ā€œAs we remember Dr. Kingā€™s words, let us not merely echo them on this annual holiday but live their meaning in our actions, policies, and in our everyday interactions. It is important that we remember what Dr. King said, ā€˜the time is always right to do what is right.ā€™ That was true then and definitely is true today. Letā€™s be extremely proud of how far weā€™ve come in our world and still be very realistic about how far we have yet to go. We can make a difference,ā€ Young said.

The Shannon native and former national board president of the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Alumni Association earned a 1994 bachelorā€™s in communication and a 1996 masterā€™s in agriculture and extension education with an emphasis in public policy. She has received numerous prestigious accolades, including being named the 2021 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Alumni Fellow, a member of the Mississippi Business Journalā€™s Top 50 Business Women, and a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scout Council of Middle Mississippi. In 2017, she was in the inaugural class of Top 50 Most Influential People in Mississippi. She and her husband Keith, residents of Madison County, are parents of three children, including two Ļć½¶Ö±²„graduates.

Ļć½¶Ö±²„President Mark E. Keenum also gave his annual welcoming remarks and recognized special participating student organizations, the Black Voices Gospel Choir and the Kappa Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as well as program moderator Bria Young, an Ļć½¶Ö±²„sociology doctoral student focusing on African American Studies. He touted MSUā€™s culture of diversity and family, along with some national diversity recognition the university has received in recent months.

ā€œItā€™s a reflection of the values and commitments our institution has of making everyoneā€”and I mean everyone who steps foot on our campusā€”feel welcome,ā€ he said.

Keenum said Ļć½¶Ö±²„is the most diverse university in the Southeastern Conference and the most diverse land-grant university in the nation, with students coming from every county in Mississippi, every U.S. state, and approximately 90 other nations.

ā€œWith all of the differences we have from around the world, I tell students we have one thing in commonā€”weā€™re all Bulldogs,ā€ said Keenum, adding that Bulldogs have a distinctive culture of looking out and caring for one another.

Despite frigid temperatures, many MLK Jr. Day of Service activities continued after the breakfast, with university and community volunteers working at various organizations around Starkville and the Golden Triangle.

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