The annual event will begin at 8:15 a.m. at the Bank Street AME Church on East Fifth Street in Russellville.
The march will then go through downtown, ending at the Logan County Court House.
As in the past, Russellville and Logan County high school students will be participating in the walk.
Once at the court house, participants will then go into the upstairs court room for a program which will feature special guest speaker J. Michael Brown, the Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet in Frankfort.
Judge Tyler Gill will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event.
Brown was named Secretary of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet by Governor Beshear in 2007. The appointment returns Secretary Brown to a longstanding role in public service.
A former district court judge in Jefferson County, he was law director for the City of Louisville, an assistant commonwealth attorney, and served on the board of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority for 12 years – six as the board’s chair. During that time he guided the authority through major construction and noise mitigation programs and the attraction and expansion of cargo and passenger carriers.
Brown, a native New Yorker, is the son of a lieutenant colonel and battalion commander in New York’s famous, all-black 369th National Guard. He followed in his father’s military footsteps, serving as a paratrooper and infantry officer with the 82nd Airborne Division. He later attended flight school and piloted helicopters until concluding his military career as a captain with the 101st Division at Ft. Campbell.
Once in Kentucky, Brown pursued another strong interest: the law. He enrolled at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1979. He has practiced in various areas including labor and employment, airport and aviation law, administrative law, entertainment and commercial litigation. He has served as a partner at the Louisville law firms of Stites and Harbison and Wyatt, Tarrant and Combs.
He is a former board member of Republic Bank and several Louisville-area civic groups and non-profit organizations, including Metro United Way and the Louisville chapter of the American Red Cross. He was elected the first African American president of the Louisville Bar Association, and chaired the Kentucky Bar Association’s Task Force on Minorities. He is a current member of KBA’s Ethic’s Committee, and has served as a member of the University of Louisville Board of Overseers and the board of directors of Big Brothers/ Big Sisters.
Secretary Brown has received numerous awards for his civic contributions, including the Trailblazer Award, presented by the Louisville Bar Association for his commitment to diversity in the legal profession. Similarly, the DuPont Legal Network recognized him by creating the J. Michael Brown Service Award in his honor, which is presented annually to an attorney who demonstrates support for diversity in the law. He was selected as the Brandeis School of Law Alumni Fellow in 2000.
For more information, contact Community Projects, Inc. president Charles Neblett or Marvinia Benton Neblett at 270-726-6687.
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