Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Be Honored in Black Mountain
Dr. Irene Owens will speak on “Building the Beloved Community.”
The Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corporation will honor Dr. King’s memory with its annual Prayer Gathering on Saturday, February 8, 2025, beginning at 9 a.m. at St. James Episcopal Church at 424 West State Street in Black Mountain.
Because of the hardships visited on so many by Hurricane Helene, admission will be free of charge—though donations to the organization or to its scholarship fund are always welcome.
Dr. Irene Owens will speak on “Building the Beloved Community.” A member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society and a Junior Fellow in British Studies and Faculty Fellow at U Texas (Austin), Dr. Owens has received numerous awards, including an Outstanding Service Award from Howard University.
Dr. Owens has been an elementary school teacher, a Classification Record Assistant at the Library of Congress, and has held several positions at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has served as a consultant in several for the Triangle Research Libraries Network (UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State University); the US Office of Education-funded Library Evaluation Project with Tribal Librarians, and for the US Embassy in South Africa.
The breakfast will also feature the Community Choir comprising singers from numerous Black Mountain congregations, led by Deacon Bobby Stafford of Mills Chapel Baptist Church on Cragmont Road, where he serves as Music Director, Gospel Choir Director, and Sunday School Superintendent.
To make a donation to support the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corporation or its scholarship program, mail a check to Swannanoa Valley MLK, PO Box 1613, Black Mountain, NC 28711 or donate online at www.svmlk.org.
