Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will host Hattiesburg’s 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and Community Awards and Scholarship Ceremonies beginning at 7:30 a.m. January 15 in the Thad Cochran Center Ballrooms on The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg campus.
Admission is free.
Presented by the fraternity’s local Mu Gamma Lambda and Mu Xi chapters, the event will feature recognition of recipients of the fraternity’s Community Service, Community Impact, Humanitarian, Douglass T. Baker, and Friend of Alpha Phi Alpha awards. The fraternity’s Academic Textbook Scholarships will also be awarded during the program to students from area high schools who plan to attend college next fall.
The scholarships are part of the fraternity’s “Go To High School - Go To College” program, which was established in 1922 in promotion of secondary and collegiate education as pathways to success.
Todd Gee, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Department of Justice, is the scheduled keynote speaker for the event. Gee was confirmed to his post in September of 2023; in his role with the Southern District, he supervises the investigation and prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in which the United States has an interest.
A native of Vicksburg, Gee has been with the Department of Justice since 2007, including as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and a Deputy Chief of the Public Integrity Section of the Department’s Criminal Division.
Before joining the Department of Justice, he was the Chief Counsel of the Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, clerked for United States Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart of the District of Oregon, and was a legislative assistant for a member of Congress.
He is a graduate of George Washington University and Tulane University Law School.
“We’re pleased to again join together as a fraternity to celebrate the birthday of our brother, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., in the spirit of community and love for humankind, with this annual event in Hattiesburg and on the campus of USM,” said Eddie Holloway, longtime chairman of the program. “Many thanks to Attorney Gee for being our guest speaker.
“We welcome everyone to join us for a delicious breakfast, fellowship, to give thanks to God for all our blessings, the opportunity to recognize the outstanding service of members of our community, and meet our textbook scholarship winners, who hold so much promise for the betterment of our great state and nation.”
For more information on the event, contact Holloway at eddie.holloway@usm.edu.
