NAACP Celebrates MLK Day In Algood

The Cookeville-Putnam County NAACP honored Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy during a prayer breakfast in Algood Monday.

NAACP President Thomas Savage said without Dr. King, opportunities for the coalition and minorities would not be possible.

“Dr. King was a visionary. His dream was that everybody in this coalition would not look like me, that they would be all of God’s people. When we are in one accord in unity, it makes our world and our nation a better place to live.”

Savage added he’s proud of the diversity of the 100 member branch and their dedication to the community.

“This means the world to me. It helps me and our branch which is a diverse branch, it’s truly diverse,” Savage said. “We have black, white, Hispanic-and that’s the way any organization should look. It should reflect the people in the community.”

Guest speaker and Tech Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Robert Owens said Dr. King’s dreams have become a reality.

“We’ve come a long way. I love to talk about my Cookeville community,” Owens said. “We are privileged to live in a community where there is some level of unity across party lines. We are privileged to live in a community where the NAACP is truly a diverse organization.”

Although they have made great strides, Owens said they still have a long way to go.

“Yes, we live in a country where still blacks earn less than any other racial ethnic group according to various levels of education. Blacks still just don’t stack up, even behind Hispanic and Latino populations,” Owens said.

The NAACP branch has been in the community for five years and have been thriving, Savage said.

This event marked the chapter’s inaugural Martin Luther King Prayer Breakfast.