Featured Speakers to Include New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace & Rev. Ron Christian
Trenton, NJ – Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells is proud to announce the New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission will host its Annual King Holiday Celebration on Sunday, January 14, 2007, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the War Memorial in Trenton. The event is free and open to the public. Members of the media are encouraged to attend.
The featured speakers for this event will be New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace, Jr. and Reverend Dr. Ronald B. Christian, senior pastor of Christian Love Baptist Church of Irvington, NJ. Justice Wallace was nominated by Governor James E. McGreevey on April 12, 2003 to serve on the Supreme Court. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 19, 2003 and was sworn in as an Associate Justice by Chief Justice Deborah T. Poritz at a private ceremony on May 20, 2003. In April 2001, Rev. Ron Christian was called by a unanimous vote to pastor the Christian Love Baptist Church and installed in July of the same year. Since that time, the church has grown from approximately 50 active members to more than 3,000 members under his leadership.
As a part of the King holiday festivities, four outstanding New Jersey citizens will be recognized with the Drum Major Awards. The Drum Major Awards are presented to individuals whose leadership, service and contributions have helped to advance Dr. King’s legacy.
During the multi-cultural program, performances will feature the New Jersey Orators, Eben-Ezer Ensemble, of South Orange; soloist Afiah Asmoah of Somerset; the Kalashri School of Arts, of West Orange; the Chinese American Dance Ensemble, of Edison, the Christian Karate Institute, of Belleville; the Angelic Praize of Gethsemane Baptist Church, of West New York; and the Universal Dance and Drum Ensemble of Camden.
The New Jersey Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission is a division of the Department of State. Created by Executive Order in 1984, its mission is to raise public awareness of Dr. King’s ideals and philosophy through a variety of educational and cultural programs including the Annual Commemorative Celebration, a grants program, a scholarship program, internships, traveling poster exhibits, and a lending library. Leading the nation, New Jersey recognized Dr. King’s birthday as a state holiday in 1977, and was the first state to secure a legislated Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission in 1989.
