Jarvis Christian University is hosting its annual "Unity in the CommUnity" prayer breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, January 13, 2024, celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who advocated for fairness and equality for all citizens through powerful, prayerful, and peaceful protest.
The cost for the breakfast is $10 with proceeds supporting community scholarships benefiting current JCU students and local high school students in Wood and Upshur counties who choose to attend JCU. The deadline to register for the breakfast is Wednesday, January 10. Those interested can register at www.jarvis.edu and click on registration for the Unity in the CommUnity Prayer Breakfast.
The keynote speaker for the MLK Prayer Breakfast will be Jarvis alumna Dr. Tomika Duffey-Johnson. After completing her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in 2000 at Jarvis, she earned her a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M and her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree from Southern Methodist University. She served the Mesquite Independent School District for 23 years as an elementary special education teacher, a fourth-grade general education teacher, an elementary and middle-school campus principal. She recently accepted an executive director role with feeder schools at the Houston Independent School District.
Born and raised near Gilmer in a rural area known as Simpsonville, Texas, she is the second of eight children reared by her mother and grandparents. At Jarvis, she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her favorite quote from Dr. King is: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving.” Dr. Johnson is respected as a servant leader committed to empowering her family, friends, students, teachers, parents, and colleagues to achieve a level of excellence beyond what they can imagine.
The annual prayer breakfast allows local community members and leaders to pray for area schools, businesses, city government, law enforcement, and JCU to foster unity among diverse ethnicities throughout East Texas.
Jarvis Christian University educates a diverse population of students of all ages intellectually, socially, spiritually and personally. The Jarvis Promise provides students an affordable education within an inclusive environment that is academically challenging yet supportive, nurturing, and responsive to the needs of each student.
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