In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Southeast Kentucky and Technical College will host its annual Community Diversity Breakfast at 9 a.m. on Jan. 13, at Benham School House Inn.

Harlan native Dr. Cicely Jenice Cottrell will address the crowd with her speech titled, “Dr. Martin Luther King on Law and Morality.” Currently an assistant professor of criminal justice at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, Dr. Cottrell dedicates her work to serving the poor and disadvantaged criminal population, particularly African Americans and juveniles.

Cottrell has justice system experience in various agencies, such as the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Administrative Office of Kentucky Courts, the Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps Center and the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. Through these experiences, she has learned that a great deal of compassion and mercy are needed when making decisions that not only impacts an individual’s freedom, but his or her ability to acquire basic necessities, such as food, water, housing, education, health care, communication and transportation.

As a professor at Chowan, Dr. Cottrell encourages her students to engage with the world in a just and forgiving manner. Her research is focused on racial disparities in school suspension and juvenile delinquency, as well as discriminatory policies and practices in the criminal justice system from pre-arrest to post-release.

Dr. Cottrell was educated at Western Kentucky University, the University of Louisville and Howard University in Washington D.C., where she received a doctorate in sociology and criminology last May.

For more information or to reserve tickets, contact Dr. Carolyn Sundy at 606-589-3052 or Dr. Deborah Hodge at 606-589-3063.