Pierce County’s Martin Luther King (MLK) Day celebration will take place this weekend.
The celebration will begin with a banquet program at 6 p.m. this Saturday, January 14, at the Macedonia Baptist Church, Tyre Bridge Road, Patterson.
Presiding Elder (Retired) Claude Ray James will be the guest speaker.
The MLK grand marshal, Pastor Morris Pate, and citizen of the year, Retired Corporal Vaniece “Vikki” Harris, will be recognized during the program.
The parade will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, January 16.
The parade will assemble at 9 a.m. at the Board of Education Central Office on Main Street. Parade organizer Isaac Moses reminds participants to come early for line up.
“We are asking all participants to be at the BOE for line up at 9 a.m. so that we can be ready to start on time at 10 a.m.,” he said.
The parade will travel down Main Street to the Courthouse and then turn left on to U.S. Highway 84. The parade will travel down Highway 84 and turn right on Ware Street and will disband at the Lee Street Resource Center.
“We encourage everyone to come out and participate in the parade,” said Moses.
Pastor Pate is currently serving as pastor of the Fourth Mount Olive Church in Blackshear.
He is a 1973 Honor Graduate of Blackshear High School. He was formerly employed by the Georgia Department of Human Services and the Juvenile Justice System as a substitute teacher at the local RYDC. He holds an associate’s degree in sociology from Waycross College and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Albany State University.
Pastor Pate is a retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer, husband, father, grandfather, mentor, concerned citizen, Pastor and Child of God.
He and his wife, Denise, have been married 39 years and they have two sons, Alex (Shyrita) and Reginald (Krystle). They Pates have two grandchildren, Christopher 10 and Alexia, 6. Alex serves as a recruiter in the U.S. Army and Reginald is an assistant principal in North Carolina. Denise currently serves as a sales person, seamstress and wedding consultant for Peaches and Dreams of Blackshear.
Pastor Pate recently vied for the office of Chairman of The Pierce County Board of Education. Although unsuccessful, he was able to gain insight from others into their views of our education system and give his thoughts and ideas on the same.
Pastor Pate is a founding member of No Male Left Behind (ministry dedicated to giving males a hand up not a hand out) and Fighting For The Family (Ministry dedicated to bringing the family back to God). Currently, he is taking part in Leadership Pierce and serves as President of the revamped Pierce County Ministerial Alliance.
Pastor Pate is not one to blow his own horn or appear much on social media to declare his deeds because he believes one’s work will speak for itself.
Pastor Pate considers it an immense honor to take part in and be chosen as Grand Marshall of the 2023 MLK Parade. As Dr. King dedicated his life to lifting the lives of others, Pastor Pate has dedicated his life to do the same.
Harris, a native of and community leader in Blackshear, is “Citizen of the Year.”
She is the wife of David Earl Harris Sr. and they have been married for 52 years. They have a daughter, Bianca (Donell) Woodard and their children Pierre, Brittany, Willie Caldwell Jr. (now in heaven), Marcus, Maurice, Jeremy and Joshua and grandson Koby. They have a son, David, who has four children: Khira, David III, Mya and Devin. Both children served and retired after 30 years of service in the United States Air Force and live in other states.
Her parents the late Thomas (Mary Jean) McGauley and her in-laws L.C.(Lessie)Harris were major influences on the person she is today along with her teachers, family, friends and travel experiences.
She attended Lee Street High School, Blackshear High, Adult Secondary Education and Okefenokee Technical College. She also received numerous training classes with the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and was a member for many years. A woman of faith, she has been a part of the religious community in Pierce County for over 67 years.
Early in life, she worked in various capacities including a very successful cleaning service, a security guard with Schafer’s Security and the Pierce County Sheriffs Office which she believes had the greatest impact on her community based leadership choices.
She has been very engaged in educational training to assist the youth in our community, church arenas and the Lee Street Resource Center. In more recent years, she has been a substitute teacher in the Pierce County School System and serves as vice chairman of the Blackshear Housing Authority.
“I believe we all have purpose and mine is to be true to God, myself, family and those I encounter. I love my community and look forward to the next Chapter in my life and my families. Thank God for the honor,” she said.
The parade is always held on the Monday of the federal holiday celebrating MLK’s birthday.
For more information, contact, Moses at (912) 449-5589 (home) or (912) 552-0118 (cell).
