The son of American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be the guest speaker at a scholarship banquet hosted by an African-American business group at PPL Corporation.
Martin Luther King III, president and chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Ga., will speak on Friday, Feb. 13, at the Holiday Inn at Routes 22 and 512 north of Bethlehem, Pa. His topic will be the influence of minorities in the 21st century workplace.
The event will begin at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
"We’re privileged that Mr. King has agreed to visit the Lehigh Valley to help our organization establish this scholarship and support our mission of promoting educational opportunities for minority students," said Alvie Fennell, a senior technical support analyst with PPL Electric Utilities and president of PPL’s African-American Business Resource Group.
Proceeds from the sale of tickets for the banquet will be used as seed money to establish a scholarship for minority college-bound students in Pennsylvania. PPL Corporation is providing sponsorship funding for the event.
"I’m honored that PPL’s African-American Business Resource Group invited me to speak next month and help establish this important scholarship fund," King said from his office in Atlanta, Ga. "It’s a significant outreach by PPL and displays its commitment to helping young people and communities in a tangible way. Whenever there’s an opportunity to help enrich the lives of young people, I will do what I can to embrace it."
Earlier this month, King was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, ending his five years of service as president and chief executive officer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a human rights organization founded by his father in 1957.
In addition to his international work seeking nonviolent ways to rid the world of social, political and economic injustice, King is committed to the educational development of youth and has initiated several programs throughout the years to support and nurture young people.
Some of his educational programs include "The King Summer Intern Program" to provide employment opportunities for high school students; "Hoops for Health," a charity basketball game intended to increase public awareness of newborn babies who suffer the effects of substance abuse; and "A Call to Manhood," an annual event designed to unite young African-American males with positive adult role models.
Tickets for the banquet are $35 per person, or $500 for a sponsorship table for eight people. Proceeds will be used to support the AABRG’s scholarship fund.
Formed in 2001, PPL’s African-American Business Resource Group has about 50 members and is open to all PPL employees who support the organization’s mission and objectives and who promote inclusiveness of African-Americans and other minorities throughout the company. It is one of a half dozen employee-led business resource groups whose members work with PPL management to cultivate a diverse workplace.
To order tickets to the scholarship banquet, send a check payable to the African-American Business Resource Group’s Scholarship Fund to Anita Scott at PPL Electric Utilities, 827 Hausman Road, Allentown, PA 18106-9392. Call 484-634-3126 for more information.
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls about 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.