CCU celebrates Martin Luther King Jr.

The Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles, pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., will be the featured speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, in Wheelwright Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University. The event is free with a ticket and open to the public.

CCU’s Inspirational Ambassadors (Gospel Choir) will also be featured in the celebration.

Born in Shelby, Miss., in 1934, Kyles has been pastor of Monumental Baptist Church since 1959. After Memphis sanitation workers went on strike in February 1968 because of low wages and poor working conditions, Kyles helped to form and lead community support for the striking workers. Part of that effort involved persuading King to come to Memphis in support of the strike. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis.

Kyles has maintained his involvement with civil rights work since the 1960s. He is a founding member of the national board of “People United to Save Humanity” (PUSH), the executive director of Rainbow-PUSH Memphis and the executive producer of Rainbow-PUSH WLOK Radio. He has received many honors and awards, including the Tennessee Living Legend Award in 1992.

This event is part of the Multicultural Celebration Series and is co-sponsored by CCU’s African American Initiative for Males (AAIM) and the Office of Multicultural Student Services. For more information, call 843-349-2863.