Bishop William J. Barber II to keynote 40th Annual King Holiday commemorative service in Atlanta

ATLANTA—Bishop William J. Barber, II will be the keynote speaker at the 40th Annual King Holiday Observance Commemorative Service on Monday, Jan. 20, 9 a.m., at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 101 Jackson St. NE, Atlanta. 

The observance coincides with the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump’s second term. Bishop Barber will reflect on how this symbolic overlap presents a critical moment for people of faith and moral conviction to rise together and respond to the deep injustices plaguing our nation, officials stated in a news release. 

Bishop Barber is founding director of Repairers of the Breach, a group that trains social justice leaders, and   the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School; and national co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. Bishop Barber served as president of the North Carolina NAACP, the largest state conference in the South from 2006-2017 and currently sits on the National NAACP Board of Directors.

The program will include:

Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO, The King Center

• The Rev. Natosha Reid Rice, minister for Public Life, All Saints Episcopal Church, Atlanta
• Pastor Reginald W. Shape, senior pastor, Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago
• Vanessa Bell Armstrong, R&B and gospel singer
• Mark Guiterrez, musician 
• The McClain Sisters, musicians
• Natalie Rant, musician
• Tye Tribbett, musician

The event will be live-streamed via The King Center website.