Join The Skanner in January to kick off one of the most diverse and socially conscious events of the New Year.
The Skanner Newspaper Group presents the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Oregon Convention Center.
As in past years, the breakfast welcomes an array of speakers that have included Sen. Ron Wyden, Mayor Tom Potter, Sen. Gordon Smith, and a number of other policy makers and experts in their field. Not straying from this tradition, The Skanner welcomes Oregon's Attorney General-elect, John Kroger to headline this year's breakfast. Many other elected officials are also expected to make speeches.
Kroger is a former Marine, federal prosecutor, public policy expert and educator. As a prosecutor, Kroger won convictions on a mafia killer, a drug king pin, as well as other drug traffickers and corrupt officials, including Enron executives. Kroger has served a s a Democratic Party official for nearly 20 years, volunteering much of his time as chair of the Oregon Finance Committee and working at the precinct committee level.
As always, attendees of the breakfast are encouraged to bring two cans of food to benefit the Oregon Food Bank. Community members are encouraged to send in nominations for the Drum Major for Justice Award – an award honoring an individual for their service in the community for social justice and racial understanding, which was inspired by the late Rev. John Jackson, former vice president of the Albina Ministerial Alliance.
The Skanner Foundation is also looking for nominations for education scholarships. Although the formal deadline has passed, applications are still being considered on a case-by-case basis. Any student is eligible for the scholarship of $1,000 to pursue a higher education, although they must meet certain criteria for school attendance (or projected attendance), community service, grade-point average and leadership potential. For full rules, please visit www.theskanner.com and click on "Foundation" for instructions on the application and full eligibility requirements.
To reserve a table at the breakfast please email MLKBreakfast@theskanner.com.
For more details and to book tables click here.
