Nashville law firm Bone McAllester Norton, PLLC, hosted their 13th annual Fellowship Breakfast honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Music City Center.
“None of us would be sitting here today if it had not been for Martin Luther King,” Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian said in reference to the diverse crowd gathered at the Fellowship Breakfast.
Over 600 people were in attendance this morning to a standing-room only crowd. Among the attendees were Congressman Jim Cooper, Mayor Karl Dean, and dozens of elected officials.
Dr. C.T. Vivian was the featured guest speaker at the event. Rev. Dr. Vivian is a recent recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Civil Rights leader. He is best known for his work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as National Director of Affiliates and strategist for every Southern Christian Leadership Conference organization. He is featured throughout documentaries like PBS’s Eyes on the Prize (1987 and 2006) and the Tom Brokaw documentary, King (History Channel 2008).
Sharing with the crowd his experience of working with Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Vivian described King as “America’s greatest social strategist.
“It wasn’t what we talked about; it’s what we did,” Rev. Dr. Vivian said.
Stacey Garrett, chair of the board of directors of Bone McAllester Norton said: “We’re excited about how our Fellowship Breakfast has grown over the years reaching more and more people in our community. It’s a great opportunity to share and reflect on the messages of Dr. King and to keep those messages going forward.”
Members of the top-ranked KIPP Academy Nashville Choir and grassroots duo, Merging Blue, performed during the breakfast.
The KIPP Academy Nashville Performance Choir, founded and led by Marvis Moore, received a standing ovation for their stunning performance this morning.
KIPP Academy is a charter school in the heart of East Nashville. The KIPP Academy Nashville Performance Choir has garnered local, regional and national acclaim, regularly winning exemplary status at local and regional festivals and has twice been selected to highlight student performances at the annual KIPP School Summit Gala.
Merging Blue performed after Rev. Dr. Vivian. Vocal harmonies and soaring melodies distinguish Merging Blue as a powerful grassroots duo, with their stripped-down acoustic approach heavily influenced by the foundations of folk, blues, country and gospel. Individually they’ve performed, written or recorded with artists like U2, Taylor Swift, Wynonna and Faith Hill. For more information, visit www.mergingblue.com
