The Cookeville-Putnam County NAACP will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon next Monday to honor Dr. King’s legacy and encourage community service.
The event is designed to reflect on Dr. King’s impact while also addressing ongoing challenges facing communities of color. Cookeville-Putnam County NAACP President the Tom Savage said King’s work centered on equal opportunity and correcting long-standing inequalities.
“The luncheon is to honor Dr. King and to recognize the impact that he had on the lives of people of color,” Savage said. “We call it the BIPOC community, Black Indigenous, People of Color.”
Savage said the event is meant to address Dr. King’s legacy and what it means today. He said those efforts were built on the work of earlier civil rights leaders and organizations.
The luncheon will feature keynote speaker Robert Gardenhire, a Tennessee Tech graduate and Nashville pastor. Savage said Gardenhire has a long history of community involvement and service.
King grew up during the height of Jim Crow segregation. Savage said housing, education, and employment opportunities were not equal for Black Americans during that time.
Savage said Dr. King’s message still resonates today. He pointed to voting access and affordable housing as areas where challenges remain.
Savage said the luncheon will focus on both progress and ongoing obstacles. He said organizers want attendees to understand how far the country has come and how much work remains.
Savage said the event is meant to encourage action beyond the holiday. He said honoring Dr. King’s legacy should extend into everyday service.
“I think his legacy should be every day, not just one day,” Savage said. “What would you do to uplift another man or a woman in your community?”
Savage said the NAACP hopes the luncheon will inspire people to get involved locally. He said service, awareness, and collaboration are key to continuing Dr. King’s work.
The Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon will take place January 19 at noon at Algood Methodist Church in Cookeville.