Sandy Springs Hosts MLK Day Celebration

For the ninth year, the City of Sandy Springs will host a community celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Former WSB News anchor Monica Pearson will be this year’s keynote speaker. The Spalding Charter Elementary School Choir will provide music for the event.

The free event is open to the public. It will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 500. Light refreshments will be served. 

As part of the celebration, the 2014 Humanitarian Award will be presented honoring an individual who has shown outstanding commitment to community service in Sandy Springs. Felix Lora, Executive Director of the Sandy Springs Mission was the 2013 recipient. 

“Social justice and working as a group to better the community, is one of the messages we frequently heard from Dr. King," said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, in a statement. "On this day that we honor him for his leadership and ability to impact change, it is a strong reminder that as a collective group, we can make great things happen.” 

Monica Pearson became the city of Atlanta’s first woman, and first minority, to anchor the 6 p.m. news. During her 30 plus years with WSB TV, Pearson earned many awards for excellence in reporting. She was the first black person and the second woman to serve as Chairman of the Metropolitan United Way.

In 1977, Pearson received the Humanitarian Award from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, in appreciation for her documentary, “Prejudice and Hate: Georgians and the Holocaust.” Following her retirement in 2012, Pearson today serves as a columnist for Southern Seasons magazine and hosts a program on KISS 104.1 radio, in addition to special projects for WSB.