FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (1/06)
Contact: Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-841-7265

Centenary to Celebrate MLK Day with Special Convocation Jan. 16

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a convocation Monday, Jan. 16 at 11 a.m. in Brown Chapel on the Centenary campus. This program is free and open to the public.

The program will feature a keynote address titled "Awaken from the Nightmare, and Live the Dream" to be delivered by New Orleans native Shawn Wilson, confidential assistant to Louisiana's secretary of transportation and Governor's Recreational Trails administrator.

Mr. Wilson earned his bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning from UL-L, and then went on to receive his master's in public administration from Southern University. He is the former deputy legislative director and executive director of the Louisiana Serve Commission in the Blanco administration. In 2004, he was elected as the first African-American president of the University of Louisiana–Lafayette Alumni Association, which celebrated 50 years of desegregation under his tenure.

Other highlights of the convocation will include music, prayer and a time of reflection. Centenary graduate Jonathan Ferrell, Class of 2005, will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the Unity Liturgical Dancers will dance to the song "Stand." Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. will be read by Centenary senior Darrius Hills of Alexandria, La., and senior Chris Lavan of Lake Charles, La. will introduce Mr. Wilson. The Rev. Timothy Jones, senior pastor at Peaceful Rest Baptist Church in Shreveport, will lead the opening and closing prayers, and Centenary President Schwab will give the welcoming and concluding remarks.

For more information, contact Lori Bradshaw, dean of student life at Centenary, at 318-869-5266.

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