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01/05/2018 08:59 AMAlways uplifting, the shoreline's 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast is set for Monday, January 15 at 8:30 a.m. at Branford's St. Therese Church Hall. This year's keynote speaker, State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr., carries on the the breakfast's legacy of honoring the Reverend Dr. King and his teachings.
Kennedy, a Branford resident serving his second consecutive term representing District 12 (Branford, Guilford, North Branford, Madison, Durham, Killingworth), is a long-time attendee of the annual shoreline breakfast event. His father, the late U.S. Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, was one of the most prominent champions of establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day, helping the federal bill to pass in the senate in 1983.
In 1985, two years after President Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law as a federal holiday, Branford's St. Stephen's A.M.E. Zion Church Breakfast Club sponsored a celebration on the third Sunday in January, honoring the Jan. 15 birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Out of that breakfast grew an interfaith effort to put on an annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast for the shoreline, carried on to this day by a dedicated committee of volunteers from several local faith organizations. The annual event now welcomes a crowd of over 200 from Branford and beyond. Participants start their day by sharing a delicious hot breakfast prepared and served by committee volunteers, followed by an inspirational morning celebrating the life and teachings of Dr. King.
The committee selects a different annual speaker each year, as well as choosing a new theme based on the words of Dr. King, said committee member Eunice Lasala.
"The theme this year is taken from one of Dr. King's speeches, 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,'" said Lasala.
The shoreline's 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast will be held Monday, Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. at St. Therese Church,105 Leetes Island Road, Branford. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. Proceeds benefit Community Dining Room and Branford fuel assistance for the elderly. Tickets are available at the door.