King Week Coming To The Pee Dee and Grand Strand as Local Organization Promotes A Week To Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Life

During Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s last address to the leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), he asked the question, “Where do we go from here?” After leading the SCLC and being the most prominent civil rights leader in America, Dr. King, like other leaders of his time, was searching for a new direction not only for the SCLC but for the civil rights movement.

At the Penn Center in Frogmore, South Carolina, Dr. King addressed the attendees at the staff retreat of the SCLC, which was formed in January 1957 in the wake of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The economic dimensions of his message were foundational and clearly stated: “We can’t solve our problems unless there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power.” In a riff he repeated throughout the final year of his life, he continued: “Our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality.” But he also knew such economic visions came with complex and volatile cultural histories and contemporary energies that were, even within the movement, often enough to be in conflict with each other as well as with the national, racial status quo.

So, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King on January 16, 2023, we will look to build on his speech in Frogmore, South Carolina, by working to establish an economic foundation that includes jobs and business ownerships that give us opportunities to build wealth within our communities and around the world.

But first, we must education our community on these opportunities and the requirements for building this new economic foundation. We must come together and learn from business leaders and experts who travel the road that we, too, wish to travel.

So, on January 16, 2023, The Community Times newspaper will join with the New Alpha Foundation to present a special roundtable with business owners, banking professionals, Chamber of Commerce leaders, and other professionals who will share their experiences in helping to build businesses in our community. This roundtable will be broadcast live on zoom and hosted on Facebook later for all to experience.

Joining us for this broadcast will be leading voices in local, state, and national businesses who will share their personal experiences in building businesses with little or no start-up capital and only a vision for their businesses that now generate millions of dollars in annual sales.

“Where Do We Go from Here?” is an economic roadmap conference hosted by The Community Times newspaper and the New Alpha Foundation that will provide links to the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Events that day will include local and regional activities sponsored by organizations across the Pee Dee and along the Grand Strand—all under the umbrella of “King Week” in eastern South Carolina. We will include events and programs in Florence, Darlington, Marion, Dillon, Lake City, Cheraw, Bennettsville, Conway, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Sumter, and surrounding areas, as we highlight and share in these community events designed to educate and inform the next generation of leaders in our community.

Please make sure that your program or event is included in our “King Week” promotion in The Community Times newspaper, on our radio program “Leo & Larry,” and online on all of our websites and social media platforms. So, if you are planning a “King Week” event, please share it we us at dsmith7716@aol.com so you and your organization can get the community support you deserve.