Hoyer Addresses 13th MLK Prayer Breakfast

Congressman Steny Hoyer helped open the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast held annually on the Monday morning commemorating Martin Luther King Day at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda C. Jordan served as the master of ceremonies for the traditional prayer  breakfast which this year included Pastor John W. Briscoe of Restoration Free Gospel Church of Christ and the First Missionary Baptist Church Youth Choir in addition to remarks from Janice Walthour of the NAACP of St. Mary’s County.

Not as traditionally of a moment came at the conclusion of the keynote address, delivered by David Kendall. Mr. Kendall clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White and worked with the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc., litigating civil right cases regarding the death penalty. Since 1981 he has been a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP and has argued caes in front of seven state supreme courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mr. Kendall concluded his address with suggestions to continue to carry forth Dr. King’s message of equality captured in his “I Have a Dream” speech in August 1963 where Dr. King said,

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ . . .

” . . . I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!”

For those committed to carrying forth the accomplishment of this dream, Mr. Kendall suggested they take a number of actions including organizing, sharing their message with others, and making sure to vote in 2018 to elect a House of Representatives which will impeach the incoming president.

Although he received enthusiastic applause for his advice, the Maryland delegate representing lower St. Mary’s County, Del. Deb Rey (R), made a point of leaving the room.

She missed the concluding performance of Gershawn Mason of the College of Southern Maryland and selections from the Spring Ridge Middle School Rhythm Club and the traditional Invitation to a Day of Service, this year issued by Natalie Hart, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Nu Zeta Omega chapter.