The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, led by Dr. Lionel T. Rush, will hold the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Black History service at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 at Temple of Praise Apostolic Assembly. The decades-old service was postponed in January due to weather. The service is open to the public.
Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Baptist Church in Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker. An awards ceremony will follow the service, honoring local leaders and activists. Bryant is a longtime civil rights activist and community organizer. Recently, Bryant was one of many faith leaders who stood in solidarity with the family of Ahmaud Arbery, who was murdered in Georgia. In November 2021, three men were found guilty, two of whom were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Four awards will be given following the ceremony: the Fannie Lou Hamer Award, Celebrating the Black Family Award, the Amos Brown Speaking Truth to Power Award and the Freedom Award. The recipients — whose names won’t be announced until the award ceremony — were selected for their dedication to their communities and resilience in the face of obstacles, Rush said.
The Freedom Award, Rush said, will be given to someone who embodies the unfulfilled promise of America.
“The Freedom Award represents the insistence that America lives up to those words: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,’” Rush said. “That’s the promise that America offers up, but it never quite lived up to.”
Tom Brown, son of the late Rev. Andrew J. Brown, will deliver the statement of purpose during the service. Rev. Brown pastored St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church for many years and was one of the founders of Indiana Black Expo. Rush said the elder Brown was an integral part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. annual service, and his son’s address will “link past history with what we are doing today.”
