Staff Sgt. Jason Colbert Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy speaks to the crowd Monday at the Luke Air Force Base MLK Day luncheon in Club Five Six. Kennedy spoke on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his message as it pertains to today’s issues.
This year will mark the 50th anniversary of many events of the civil rights movement. One such event was the March on Washington, which took place Aug. 28, 1963. The highlight of the march was Dr. Martin Luther King’s, I Have a Dream speech, which is one of the most famous speeches of all time. This speech became the anthem of the movement.
Tragically, Dr. King was felled by an assassin’s bullet, April 4, 1968. Today, his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday the third Monday of January.
Luke Air Force Base honored his birthday with its annual MLK Day luncheon Jan. 28 at Club Five-Six. The theme of the luncheon was The Courage to Create a Just World. Approximately 60 people attended. The luncheon was sponsored by the 607th Air Control Squadron.
The guest speaker was Sandra Kennedy, the first African-American elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission. She was elected to this office in November 2008.
Kennedy has a resume full of achievements, which include serving in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1987-1993 followed by service in the Arizona Senate until 1999. She is a graduate of South Mountain High School and Arizona State University, majoring in accounting and business administration. She was born in Oklahoma City and came to Phoenix in 1971.
