SALISBURY — A large crowd filled the YMCA gymnasium this morning for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday breakfast, kicking off a day of activities commemorating the slain civil rights leader and honoring his legacy.
A Mecklenburg County judge who delivered the keynote address challenged participants to find ways to lower the high school dropout rate, especially among African-American males.
District Court Judge Rickye McKoy-Mitchell said education is key to the freedom espoused by King, but only about 21 percent of black male teenagers graduate from high school.
“That should ring very loudly to us,” she said. “We have to do something.”
Mitchell advocated mentoring as a way to keep young people in school and help them develop their gifts and talents.
The breakfast event included music, prayer, awards and comments by Salisbury Mayor Paul Woodson and Carl Ford, vice chairman of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners.
A ceremony followed at the Freedman Cemetery.
The annual parade begins at 11 a.m. today, followed by a festival from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the Salisbury Civic Center, including food, vendors and entertainment.
Read more in Tuesday’s Post.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.