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Love to speak at Norfolk Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration

Love to speak at Norfolk Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration

NORFOLK, Neb. – Preston Love, Jr., founder and director of the Institute for Urban Development in Omaha, will speak during a virtual event in Norfolk commemorating the legacy of the late civil rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Northeast Community College and the Mayor’s Diversity Council with the City of Norfolk will host the celebration on Mon., Jan. 18, at 1 p.m., in coordination with events that will be held across the nation to observe the federal holiday.  

Love, an author, playwright and adjunct professor of African-American Experiences in Politics at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, will speak with wisdom derived from his life experiences, which includes organizing Jesse Jackson’s presidential candidacy in 1984 and his crusade and community activism for economic inclusion during his presentation, “Where is MLK?”

In addition to his work as founder and director of the Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement LLC and first vice president of the NAACP Chapter in Omaha, Love organizes an all-expenses paid annual trip of more than 40 high school students on a Black History tour to Memphis, Jackson, Miss., Tuskegee, Montgomery, and Selma, Ala., and Atlanta. 

Notable achievements include Love’s induction into the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 in recognition of his performance as a member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team and later as a draftee of the Detroit Lions. Prior to his time at UNL, Love attended and played football at Norfolk Junior College, the predecessor institution of Northeast Community College. He has also been recognized by the Nebraska/Iowa Chapter of the NAACP, the West Point Society of Nebraska and Western Iowa, and the National Association of Social Workers.  

Northeast President Leah Barrett and Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning will also speak during the Jan. 18, occasion.

The Mayor’s Diversity Council was assembled in 2017 to help create a welcoming environment throughout the community, to develop and build relationships with area businesses, to emphasize the importance of diversity and inclusion in education systems, and to engage minority communities.

The Norfolk MLK Jr. Day program may be viewed online over Zoom at 9593 5534 918 (https://northeast.zoom.us/j/95935534918).

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