Former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson will serve as the keynote speaker for Mississippi State University’s 27th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast and Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18.

MSU has made this year’s Unity Breakfast a virtual event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The university will broadcast the event at 8 a.m. on MSTV and livestream it at mstv.msstate.edu and on the MSU website. It will re-air on MSTV at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday.

Anderson is a senior partner with Phelps Dunbar LLP and was the first African American justice to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1985 to 1991. He was also a Circuit Court judge for Mississippi’s 7th Circuit Court District, a County Court judge for Hinds County and a Municipal Court judge for the city of Jackson. He is an alumnus of Tougaloo College and the University of Mississippi School of Law and was a member of the Mississippi Associate Counsel for the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund for eight years.

The Day of Service event will also feature a performance from the MSU Black Voices Gospel Choir. Donald Shaffer, director of African American studies at MSU, will serve as the event's emcee.

MSU’s Maroon Volunteer Center will facilitate service opportunities for students at sites across Starkville on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information, visit https://msstate.campuslabs.com/engage/event/5537511.

MSU Bully’s Closet and Pantry and Block by Block Program Donation Drive

Mississippi State University’s Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association will collect supplies from Tuesday, Jan. 19, to Friday, Jan. 29, for Bully’s Closet and Pantry and the university’s Block by Block Program.

Bully’s Closet and Pantry is part of the MSU Food Security Network and provides free food, toiletries, professional clothing, school supplies and other items to current MSU students.

The Block by Block Program is a partnership between Aramark, the MSU Dean of Students’ Office and the MSU Student Association that provides meals to students in need. MSU students with a valid meal plan can donate up to three block meals per semester to this program.

Participants can drop off donation items at the Graduate School (617 Allen Hall). All members of the campus and local community can participate, a release from MSU says. The most needed items include canned food, peanut butter, cereal, toothpaste, soap, laundry detergent, paper towels, notebooks, folders, writing utensils, graphing calculators and other school supplies.

For more information, call 662-325-9516 or email [email protected].

USM #WhatsYourPurpose2021 Campaign

The Institute for Disability Studies Transition to Adulthood Programs at The University of Southern Mississippi recently launched a new campaign titled "#WhatsYourPurpose2021," which aims to feature young adults with and without disabilities, their family members and caregivers in short videos and social media posts promoting transition successes throughout 2021.

Each video and post will highlight young adults and members of their support networks and have them share their future life purposes, a release from USM says. The university is asking viewers to “like” the IDS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/msusmids and include the hashtag #WhatsYourPurpose2021 when sharing campaign posts

IDS' services and programs promote early childhood inclusion and education, housing, transition to adulthood, wellness, employment, volunteerism, post-secondary education, productivity and independence for youth and young adults with and without disabilities. For more information about IDS or the transition to adulthood program, visit usm.edu/ids, call 601-266-5163 or email [email protected].