MLK Jr. Day events getting underway this morning in Athens with the University of Georgia’s 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast. Hundreds of attendees filled the Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center to hear keynote speaker Tiffany Cochran Edwards address this year’s theme: The Power of the Dream: Building the Beloved Community.
“When I first heard the theme I was like, this is perfect because I really think in today’s negativity we need more optimism,” according to Cochran Edwards. “Dr. King’s legacy is just as relevant today as it was in the 60s.”
Cochran Edwards urged the audience to cultivate optimism, be of service, and fulfill his or her own unique destiny.
The former Atlanta news anchor is the daughter of famed attorney Johnnie Cochran. She is now public relations manager for the Cochran firm and supports the Johnnie L. Cochran Brain Tumor Center at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Cochran Edwards says also wants to further her father’s legacy.
“Unfortunately a lot of people just assume he did OJ and that was it, but he’s got a tremendous body of work that started with just helping clients that nobody knew. A lot of people don’t know that because of his efforts there’s no chokehold in certain parts of Los Angeles. It’s a very big deal, because African-American men were dying because of the chokehold.”