Mission Statement
To promote, encourage and inspire awareness, acceptance and appreciation among the people of our community for the legacy and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to foster continuing commitment to Dr. King’s example of love, tolerance, nonviolence and social justice.

Dorene Boular, Staff Liaison
City of Rock Hill
P.O. Box 11706
Rock Hill, SC 29731-1706

Projects Supported by the MLK Task Force:

• Annual MLK Interfaith Prayer Breakfast

  Trina Ricks' convincing portrayal of Coretta Scott King at the 4th Annual MLK Interfaith Prayer breakfast honored the life of a woman who led by example.

• Historical Marker Ad Hoc Committee (McCroy’s Lunch Counter/Friendship Nine)
• Winthrop University - Cycle of Poverty Community Forum
• No Room for Racism Dinner and Dialogue Forum —“Understanding the Dimensions of Diversity”
• NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner
• Mt. Prospect Baptist Church - Juneteenth Celebrations
• Cultural & Heritage Museums - “By the Sweat of Our Brows”
• National Race Equality & Inclusive Communities Celebration—“The Building Blocks of Diversity”

6th Annual MLK Interfaith Prayer Breakfast 
Preparation has begun for the 6h Annual MLK Interfaith Prayer Breakfast to be held Monday, January 19, 2009 from 7:30 am to 9:00 am at First Baptist Church, located at 481 Hood Center Drive. The breakfast is  sponsored by the Rock Hill/York County MLK Task Force, in conjunction with the Committee on Human Relations and No Room for Racism Committee. 

The theme for the event will be “Remember, Act, Celebrate.” Music will be provided by the Rock Hill Ecumenical Chorale Ensemble. The guest speaker will be Judge Ernest A. Finney, Jr., retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and first African-American Chief Justice of South Carolina since Reconstruction. Judge Finney has direct ties to Rock Hill and the Friendship 9.

Tickets for this event can be purchased for $10 each at the Housing & Neighborhood Services Office at 150 Johnston Street and also at the City Management Office at City Hall, 155 Johnston Street. Table sponsorships are available starting at $150 each and include seating for eight people.

Nominations are now being accepted for the Dream Keeper Award. This award recognizes exemplary displays of committed service to the tenets of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the ultimate dreamer. The ideals of social responsibility, political empowerment, diversity, racial harmony, nonviolence, and unselfish service must be demonstrated voluntarily by the nominee on behalf of his or her community and fellow citizens.

For more information on the prayer breakfast tickets, table sponsorships and to receive an application for the Dream Keeper Award, please call Dorene Boular at 803/325-2527 or email at dboular@cityofrockhill.com. 
 

Congressman John Lewis, a leader in the civil rights movement, served as guest speaker at the 5th Annual MLK Interfaith Prayer Breakfast.

 Annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast Held in Observance of MLK

In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Rock Hill/York County MLK Task Force in conjunction with the Committee on Human Relations and No Room for Racism Committee, host an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Prayer Breakfast.

The guest speaker for the 2008 breakfast was Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a leader in the civil rights movement. Congressman Lewis demonstrated extraordinary courage and commitment at an early age by organizing sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. He was beaten by angry mobs for his participation in the Freedom Rides that challenged segregation at bus terminals across the South.

For more information on the 2009 Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, please contact Dorene Boular at 803/325-2527 or email at dboular@cityofrockhill.com. 




Special Event Recognized Friendship Nine Protesters and Civil Rights Efforts in Rock Hill
The City of Rock Hill, in conjunction with York County’s Culture & Heritage Museums, hosted a special dedication ceremony Saturday, January 27 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Realtors Building (formerly the McCrory Building) in downtown Rock Hill. The event included entertainment and special guests, along with the unveiling of a historical marker.

The event commemorated the McCrory Civil Rights Sit-in, which occurred there January 31, 1961. Students from Rock Hill’s all-black Friendship College staged a sit-in at the McCrory’s Variety Store lunch counter. They sat at the lunch counter in McCrory’s on Main Street, were asked to leave, and refused twice. The police were contacted and hauled the group to city jail. The judge found 10 students guilty and issued a fine of $100 or 30 days in jail. Nine of them refused to pay the fine, becoming the country’s first sit-in protestors to be sent to prison. They became nationally famous as “The Friendship Nine.” The group included: Robert McCullough, John Gaines, Thomas Gaither, Clarence Graham, W.T. “Dub” Massey, Willie McCleod, James Wells, David Williamson Jr. and Mack Workman.

For more information about this special event recognizing the bravery and conviction of the Friendship Nine, please contact Mary Lynn Norton at 803/684-3948.

Documents & Forms

• 2009 Sponsorship Letter
• Sponsorship Levels
• Dream Keeper Award Application
• 2009 Interfaith Prayer Breakfast Flyer
• 2008 Table Sponsors

MLK Task Force Roster