OMICRON TAU LAMBDA
AIKEN ALPHAS
THE 17th ANNUAL
DRUM MAJOR
UNITY AWARD BREAKFAST
The MLK Unity Award Breakfast continues to serve as a platform for people in Aiken
and surrounding counties to gather and reflect on the dream of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. In addition to reflecting on the dream of Dr. King, the breakfast serves as
a platform to honor a citizen or citizens who has dedicated their lives to service and
present several local high school students with scholarships to further their educational
goals.
The life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. should forever remind us that we are
all connected by a common thread and inequality and injustice is not the solution to
racial indifference. A person should be judged by the content of their character and
not the color of their skin. Dr. King’s dream was for all men to live in harmony and
peace.
- Molineaux (Buddy) Robinson,
Chairman,
Drum Major Award Unity Breakfast
Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American
clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights
movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of
civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King is often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism.
In 1952, Dr. King was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. through the Sigma Chapter while a graduate student at Boston University. A Baptist Minister, Dr. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. Dr. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream"speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.
In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War.
Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004;
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986.
