Dr. William H. Curtis will be the guest speaker for the Kansas City, Kansas, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration Jan. 16.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at Memorial Hall, 600 N. 7th, Kansas City, Kansas.
Dr. Curtis, senior pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He is a seminary professor and co-owner of the Church Online, a technology and full-service marketing firm that provides services to ministries all over the world.
Dr. Curtis was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in 2009. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi and Jericho lodge No. 20. He also is the author of several books.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and philosophy from Morgan State University, a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife Christine have one daughter.
The theme of this year’s King Celebration is “Together We Can Be the Dream.” It will be the first in-person event since COVID in 2019.
The ecumenical celebration is the largest event of the year co-sponsored by the Unified Government, the Baptist Minister’s Union and the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office.
A highlight of the event is the awarding of scholarships to deserving students from the Kansas City, Kansas, Turner and Piper school districts. During the past 42 years, more than $1 million has been raised and distributed for scholarships. The Wyandotte County District Attorney is sponsoring five scholarships.
Churches and individual donations are necessary to reach the goal of $13,000. All donations will go to the scholarship funds. Business sponsorships also are available. Sponsors will be listed in the program and will be announced.
Contributions may be mailed to the MLK Holiday Celebration, care of Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. Individual donations may be sent to https://gkccf.kimbia.com/king01.
Those interested in singing in the All Faith MLK Choir should contact Alicia Saunders at [email protected].