Fort Mill invites public to hear civil rights speaker at MLK Day program
The public is invited to learn more about and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 10 a.m. Monday in the Community Center at Jerusalem Baptist Church 1003 Steele Street, Fort Mill.
Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday to honor the civil rights leader. Dr. King was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis. He was 39.
The town of Fort Mill, which is sponsoring the program, announced Monday that Willie Ratchford, executive director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, will be guest speaker. His topic is “Leadership, The Movement and Service.”
Ratchford is responsible for programs aimed at improving community relations, is involved in equal opportunity investigations and discrimination complaints for Charlotte. He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and is also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy Leadership School at Harvard University and the Institute of Government at UNC at Chapel Hill.
He has been active in civil rights for over 36 years and has received many awards and accolades, including the Charlotte Area Peace Corps Association’s first “Peace Prize” in 1998 for his work to reduce tension and foster a spirit of harmony in the community. In 2005, Ratchford received the Individual Human Rights award from the National Association of Human Rights Workers and in 2006, the Nancy Susan Reynolds for Race relation.
A past president of the National Association of Human Rights Workers, Ratchford received the Mecklenburg Ministries’ Annual Community Leader award in 2011, and in 2015, the Mayor Richard Vinroot award for outstanding community service.
Following Monday’s program, non-profit agencies from the Fort Mill area will be available to discuss volunteer opportunities in Fort Mill.
For more information, go to fortmillsc.gov.
This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Fort Mill invites public to hear civil rights speaker at MLK Day program."