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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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[Verbatim] The Catholic Diocese of Jackson will host its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Celebration at 3:00 PM Sunday, January 11, 2009 at St. Peters Cathedral in downtown Jackson. The theme for 2009 is “A Vision Fulfilled: The Changing Face of America.” The keynote speaker will be Rev. Manuel Williams, CEO of Resurrection Catholic Missions, Incorporated, and Pastor of Resurrection Catholic Church of Montgomery, Alabama. Resurrection Missions offers a holistic approach to the care of children and adults through its residential care facilities and schools within the Southern Alabama community.

Also on program is Sabri Agachan, PhD, Mississippi Representative for the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue. Dr Agachan is a leader within the Jackson spiritual community. A native of Turkey and a devout Muslim, his organization seeks to bridge the gap between the various religions and promote positive change in the world.

This event is free and open to the public. All faiths are encouraged to attend. A free public reception and art exhibit by Tony Davenport will immediately follow.

For additional information please contact the Diocese at 601-969-1880.

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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.