Alpha Phi Alpha’s 2021 MLK Jr. Prayer Breakfast Postponed

Mon, 12/21/2020 - 04:13pm | By: David Tisdale

Because of a continuing uptick in cases of COVID-19 in the state of Mississippi and across the country, members of Hattiesburg’s Mu Gamma Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., are postponing next year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, originally set for Jan. 18, 2021 at The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Thad Cochran Center.

USM Dean of Students Emeritus Dr. Eddie Holloway, a member of the chapter and organizer for the event, said the fraternity hopes to reschedule the breakfast for later in the spring of 2021, and will communicate the new date to the community.

Dr. Holloway said the fraternity will continue providing direct support to deserving local high school graduates in the form of annual scholarships, as it does each year at the breakfast. 

“So many of our cherished events, activities and traditions have been restricted, postponed or cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it pains me that our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast will unfortunately be one of these,” Dr. Holloway said.  

“The recent surge in cases of the virus across the country, which many medical experts expect to continue through winter, has led to this decision in the interest of the health and safety of our community and longtime supporters of this much-anticipated annual event. Meanwhile, we are encouraged that the recent development and distribution of vaccines will hasten an end to the pandemic.”

Dr. Holloway expressed gratitude to Dr. Alfred Rankins, Jr., Commissioner of Higher Education for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, for agreeing to be the event’s keynote speaker. “We look forward to hearing his remarks and joining in fellowship when we host the breakfast later next year,” he said.

The Mu Gamma Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. continues to accept sponsorships for the 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, and support for the scholarships it presents to local students. For more information about how to support this event and the outreach work of the fraternity, contact Dr. Holloway at eddie.hollowayFREEMississippi or call 601.297.0145.