Published Saturday, Jan. 19, 2002
MERCER COUNTY
Dr. Martin Luther King Day observance set at courthouseMercer County Anti-Discrimination Commission and the Underground Railroad and Abolition Era Discussion Group will sponsor a march and observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday at the Mercer County Courthouse.
The discussion group is an organization of the Mercer County Historical Society.
Participants will gather at 9 a.m. Monday at the historical society at 119 S. Pitt St. in Mercer. They then will march across the street to the courthouse, where a wreath will be passed from an elder participant to a youth and will be laid at the Civil War Memorial.
The observance will begin at 9:45 a.m. in the courthouse rotunda. The Rev. Kevin Cooper will recite King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
The Rev. Alphonse Allen Jr., pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Scranton, Pa., and a native of Sharon, will speak on King. Before moving to Scranton, Rev. Allen was a past vice president of the Mercer County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a past director of Southwest Gardens Economic Development Center in Farrell and a past member of Black Men For Progress.