Governor’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Celebration to be held Thursday

The Governor’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at the State Capitol, 2nd floor rotunda. 

This year’s event will feature Leland Hardy.  Hardy holds two masters degrees in finance marketing, and international business.  He is considered one of the world’s most fluent scholars on China.  Hardy is the founder of InternetEquality.org, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote increased internet access and use by traditionally lesser-represented communities, particularly the poor and minorities. His speech is entitled “From Racial Equality to Internet Equality – Applying Dr. King’s Principles to the Internet Age.”

The celebration will begin with the traditional symbolic march from the Judicial Center to the Statehouse beginning at 10:45 a.m.  The march will be led by the F.L. Schlagle High School Marching Band from Kansas City, Kansas. Pledge2Worship will perform during the celebration.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius will present certificates and awards to the winners of the K-12 theme and poster contests. This year’s theme, Inheriting a World House: What we learn from others, top poster winners are:

• 1st Grader, Caleb Jeanneret, Overbrook Attendance Center;
• 3rd Grader, Lillian Porter, Fort Leavenworth Bradley Elementary;
• 7th Grader, Macy Cox, Oswego Middle School; and
• 11th Grader, Brooke Grieger, Manhattan High School. 

The top essay winner is Brittney Imholte from Nemaha Valley High School. 

Certificates will also be presented to other students who won Honorable Mention for their posters and essay entries. The winning posters will be on display in the Capitol on the second floor.  

The Governor will also present awards to five Kansans who have made extraordinary contributions to Kansas communities.  The awards will be presented to the Honorable Maritza Segarra of the 8th Judicial District Court, Pilar Quinones, Yolanda Guyton, Rindi Zimmerman and Kirt Nichols.

Sponsoring state agencies include the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs and the Office of the Governor.

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