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Francis Marion University will host its 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on campus Thursday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Chapman Auditorium. This year’s keynote speaker will be Florence Mayor Lethonia Barnes. The program will be emceed by members of the FMU Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board. The event will also include entertainment provided by the Young Gifted and Blessed Gospel Choir and winners of FMU’s Got Talent. Lethonia Barnes is an accomplished business owner, a former college administrator, wife, mother, and a current pastor. Barnes graduated from Wilson High School and went on to attend South Carolina State University, where she earned her degree in business. Prior to becoming Mayor of Florence, Barnes owned the largest beauty and barber salon in Florence and led the first business to kick-start the downtown renewal in the city. She also served as an administrator at Florence-Darlington Technical College and Virginia Tech for a combined 21 years. Additionally, Barnes served a four-year term as a Florence City Councilwoman

The 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Freedom March will return to Florence on Monday, January 20, beginning at 10 a.m. The march will kick off at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Oakland Avenue, where participants are invited to arrive early for refreshments, including coffee and cocoa. The procession will then make its way along Oakland Avenue, cross the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge, and continue to the Performing Arts Center for the closing program. Councilwoman Lashonda NeSmith Jackson is eager for this year’s event and is hoping for a diverse turnout from the community, including local churches, Greek organizations, and motorcycle clubs. At the Performing Arts Center, the program will feature a keynote address by Bishop R. Christopher Brown of Sword of Truth Church, along with poetry, praise dancers, and reflections on Dr. King’s lasting legacy. Following the program, city buses will transport participants back to their vehicles. For Jackson, the return of the march in 2023 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic was deeply emotional. It marked the first march without three key community leaders who were instrumental in establishing the event: former councilman Ed Robinson (died 2016), longtime city councilman Billy D. […]

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