Still Marching Forward: Fighting for Justice Never Ends.
Staff reports
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County will host its 43rd annual celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy on Saturday January 13, 2024, at 8 a.m. The Prayer Breakfast will take place at the Crowne Plaza Resort, 1 Resort Dr., Asheville (uphill from Sam’s Club). The MLK Prayer Breakfast brings together approximately 1,100 community members of all cultures and religious denominations.
Celebrated Attorney James Ferguson to speak
The theme for the 2024 celebration is “Still Marching Forward: Fighting for Justice Never Ends.”
Mr. Ferguson was born in Asheville, is a graduate of Stephens-Lee High School, and was the first president of the Asheville Student Committee On Racial Equality (ASCORE) in 1960. He is a founding partner of the law firm Ferguson, Stein, Chambers, Gresham, and Sumter, P.A. and has served as president of the firm since 1984.
Attorney Ferguson has been recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the nation’s top ten litigators and has been listed in every edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the categories of personal injury litigation and criminal defense. He is a member of an exclusive organization whose membership is limited to 100 of the nation’s top trial lawyers. For a number of years, Ferguson has also been voted by his peers as a Super Lawyer.
Since the late 1970s, Ferguson has concentrated his practice in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases arising out of medical malpractice, personal injury, and product liability. Under his leadership, the firm has successfully resolved cases for injured plaintiffs in an aggregate amount in excess of one hundred million dollars. In addition to his catastrophic injury cases, James continues to handle civil rights and criminal cases.
As a practicing attorney and a recognized scholar, Ferguson has also taught trial skills at Harvard Law School and North Carolina Central Law School. He served as a Scholar in Residence at Santa Clara Law School and was recognized as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Other MLK Events
In addition to Saturday’s Prayer Breakfast, the MLK Association’s Annual Candlelight Service will be held on Sunday evening, January 14, at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church (60 Church Street, Asheville 28801).
The January 15th Peace Rally, on what would have been Dr. King’s 84th birthday, will commence with a pre-march service beginning at 11:30 a.m. at St. James AME Church, 44 Hildebrand St., followed by the Peace March to Pack Square at 12:30 p.m.
The MLK Association engages in ongoing efforts to achieve Dr. King’s ideals and vision, and asks for the public’s financial support to be able to continue its work, including by awarding college scholarships each year to local students.
For more information regarding the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Association of Asheville and Buncombe County events, or to purchase a ticket for the breakfast, please call (828) 281-1624.
