Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monument
In 2005, the College unveiled a 5-foot granite monument and named a courtyard on its
Lake Worth campus—the site of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast
— in honor of the civil rights leader. As part of the celebration, the College presents
its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Awards to outstanding individuals who
have made innovative contributions toward improving the lives of others in Palm Beach
County.
Event History
Palm Beach State College began hosting its annual celebration honoring Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. in 2000. The event is among the College’s diversity initiatives, and it attracts hundreds of students, faculty, staff and members of
the community each year.
For the first time in 2007, the College broadcast the event live on the Internet to allow students and employees who cannot attend the event in Lake Worth to still participate in the celebration.
History of Speakers
Through the years, the celebration has included stellar speakers, including:
- Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center
- Jeff Johnson, an MSNBC contributor and White House correspondent for TheGrio.com
- BET Co-founder Sheila Johnson
- The Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church
- Poet Nikki Giovanni
- Stuart attorney Willie Gary
- Juan Williams, political analyst for Fox News Channel and National Public Radio senior correspondent
- Xernona Clayton, founder of the Trumpet Awards
- Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Harry Lee Anstead
