Author to Speak at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast

Author Daniel E. Walker will speak at Moreno Valley College's (MVC) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7 a.m. Walker is author of the book, "No More, No More: Slavery and Cultural Resistance in Havana and New Orleans." Proceeds from the breakfast will benefit MVC's general scholarship fund. Sponsorship opportunities are available through the Riverside Community College District Foundation at 951-222-8627. Tickets for the breakfast are $25 and are available through the MVC Admissions & Records office at 951-571-6358. As part of this year's celebration, MVC held a speech competition and local school districts conducted an essay competition. Bryanna Maglabe, a graduate of Val Verde High School, won the speech competition, and four high school students - Rancho Verde High School juniors Richard Helguin and Victoria Mac; Canyon Springs sophomore Melissa Lyken; and Clara Fuentes, a Vista del Lago junior, were selected as winners of the essay contest. Each will be awarded a $250 scholarship from the proceeds of the breakfast. Walker is a history instructor at El Camino College and research associate at the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture. Possessing a Ph.D. in Latin American and African American History from the University of Houston, he previously taught history at Indiana University, San Bernardino Valley College, and Occidental College, and was associate director of the African American Studies program at the University of Houston. At age 19, Walker and Dr. Shawn A. Ginwright, then both college sophomores, founded Leadership Excellence, a non-profit organization that utilized college students to teach leadership and academic skills to inner-city youth. The organization placed over 97 percent of its high school participants in accredited colleges and universities.