(Georgia Recorder) — On Friday, Georgia’s top public defender encouraged government officials and the community to continue supporting programs that transform lives during the state’s 40th anniversary celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.
Federal and Georgia governments will be closed on Monday in observance of the King’s birthday holiday, celebrated every third Monday in January. In 1968, King was slain at the age of 39 after becoming the leading face of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement fighting systemic racism Black people faced across the deep South and other parts of America. Omotayo Alli, executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council, was the keynote speaker as more than 150 people attended the celebration held at the state Capitol.
During the ceremony, the Georgia Martin Luther King Jr. Advisory Council recognized this year’s winners of awards named after five former longtime Georgia residents who worked closely with King during the Civil Rights Era. King’s family members were presented with a proclamation from the state honoring the civil rights icon’s holiday.
The event is organized by the Georgia Black Legislative Caucus and the state Department of Community Affairs.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp emphasized King’s commitment to non-violence while confronting the injustices of racial prejudice and segregation.
He called for continued efforts to promote unity and opportunity for all Georgians, urging personal actions aligned with King’s principles.
“From his early life, growing up in Atlanta throughout his travels across the country fighting injustice, was never content to look the other way when he came to confronting the problems of his days,” Kemp said.
The keynote address was delivered by Omotayo Alli, the first Black woman to serve as executive director of the Georgia Public Defender Council, overseeing several dozen offices across Georgia.
Alli discussed her four-decade journey as a public defender, emphasizing her efforts to improve juvenile justice by creating educational opportunities for children in the system.
Alli spoke about establishing a public defender program that provides opportunities for people who have gone through the criminal justice system to help them reintegrate into the community.
She describes her transition to working with juvenile cases, which led to her realize the high number of children in the justice system.
Alli said she took a personal interest in bettering the lives of young people in the justice system, by providing educational opportunities and other resources that are critical in their rehabilitation. Young people obtaining their GED and learning job skills at a technical school opens opportunities to end a cycle of poverty, she said.
A number of events celebrating the legacy of King will continue on Monday across Georgia. The annual holiday event at the Atlanta church where King preached will be led by a different religious leader than in recent years. Ebenezer Baptist Church church pastor and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will not attend Monday’s celebration of King since the Atlanta Democrat will be in Washington D.C.for the inauguration of Republican President Donald Trump.
The Ebenezer church’s keynote sermon will be delivered by North Carolina’s Bishop William J. Barber II, who serves as president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach. Barber will reflect upon a critical moment for people of faith and to the injustices plaguing the nation, according to a news release.
