Watertown Celebrates Annual Unity Breakfast
On Monday, January 16, 2017 Watertown will celebrate its seventeenth Unity Breakfast on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The event brings together hundreds of people, representing Watertown’s diverse population, to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who devoted his life to ending prejudice and racism in our country.
The Unity Breakfast has become a Watertown tradition, drawing over 400 guests. The program includes a timely keynote speaker, lively choral music, essays and art projects by Watertown middle and high school students, and the presentation of the Unity Award to Watertown individuals or community organizations that have demonstrated outstanding community service to the town. This year the honorary Master of Ceremonies will be Renee Landers, Esq., Professor of Law at Suffolk University and Watertown resident.
This year’s keynote speaker is the Honorable Geraldine S. Hines, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Justice Hines is the first African American woman to be appointed to the highest court in Massachusetts. Born in the Mississippi Delta, she has devoted her career to civil rights, including prisoners’ rights, employment issues and discrimination in education. Before entering public life, she was a founding partner in the first law firm of women of color in New England. Active not only in civic and community organizations in the Sates, she has also observed elections and investigated human rights abuses in Africa and the Middle East.
Music this year will be provided by two groups: The Greater Boston Intergenerational Chorus, under the direction of Joanne Hammil, and the Watertones, a high school a cappella group, under the direction of Dan Wulf. Watertown middle and high school students will also be actively involved in the program by sharing essays on Dr. King’s legacy and how his teachings relate to their lives, and by displaying art work that depicts the six Principles of Kingian Non-Violence.
The Unity Breakfast, sponsored by the World in Watertown in collaboration with Survival Education Fund, Inc. and Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment, will be held on Monday, January 16, 2017 at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Avenue, Watertown. There is a new program format. The doors open at 8:15 am, breakfast is served from 8:30 – 9:00 am, and the program will take place from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Food is provided by the Deluxe Town Diner. Child care will be provided for pre-schoolers. The Hellenic Cultural Center is handicap accessible. Tickets are $10 (children 12 and under free). For group reservations call 617-924-6143 or e-mail fpwatertown@comcast.net by January 12. Otherwise, tickets will be available at the door.