MLK Jr. Day breakfast to feature UVM prof, plus music & dance

Dr. Fayneese Miller, dean of the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont, will address Wellesley’s twelfth annual Martin Luther King Day breakfast on Jan. 16 at Sun Life Executive Park at Wellesley Gateway (intersection of routes 9 and 128). Breakfast food will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. and the program will take place from 8:30 to 10:00. The breakfast is jointly sponsored by the World of Wellesley (WOW), the Interfaith Community for Action in Wellesley, and Sun Life Financial.

Keynote speaker Fayneese Miller is a social psychologist who specializes in the psychosocial development of youth, with special emphasis on alienation, social identity, and cross-racial friendships. In addition to her deanship, Dr. Miller is professor of human development, educational leadership, and social policy at the University of Vermont. She serves on the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Truancy Prevention Association (NTPA) Board. Her work includes a study on perceptions of racial/ethnic bias for the Rhode Island Supreme Court and a project on school-based truancy courts for the Rhode Island Family Court.

The King breakfast program will also feature choral music from the Charles Street A.M.E. Church choir and dance by the Wellesley High School Thunder Step Squad. The annual World of Wellesley Award for Advancing Race Relations will be presented to Whole Foods Market. Tickets to the breakfast are $25. Send a check made payable to the World of Wellesley to WOW, P.O. Box 812381, Wellesley, MA 02482. Payment may also be made at the door.

The World of Wellesley was founded in 1990 to support and promote racial and cultural diversity in Wellesley. The organization sponsors a variety of events throughout the year with a diversity theme, including a series of programs cosponsored by the Wellesley Free Library. WOW also recognizes local businesses and other organizations for actions in support of diversity.

For more information on the King Celebration, contact Martin Walsh (781 237-1991, martinawalsh1938@yahoo.com) or Melissa Clemence (781 235-2739, mclemence@aol.com).