Annual King Day observance planned for Monday

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collaborative has announced that John Monds, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Grady County, will serve as the grand marshal of Monday’s MLK Day Parade and featured speaker at the program held at Holder Park immediately following the parade.
The parade steps off next Monday at 11 a.m. with 93 registered units including the Cairo High School Syrupmaker Band and the Grady County Middle School Band.
John Monds is a 1983 graduate of J.M. Tate High School in Gonzalez, Fla., and a 1987 graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in banking and finance.
After working several years with the investment firm Lehman Brothers and Mesaba Aviation, he and his wife, Dr. Kathaleena E. Monds, moved to Cairo in December 1999.
They are the home school parents of four children: Akintunde, 14, Cazembe, 12, Halima, 10;,and Malik, 5.
In addition to leading the local Libertarian Party, Monds serves as the president of the NAACP Grady County Branch, board member of Grady County Habitat for Humanity, Inc., and he is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Monds ran for a seat on the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2008 and received over one million votes. The 2008 total made Monds the highest vote-getter of any candidate in the history of the Libertarian Party nationwide.
Then in 2010, Monds became the first African American candidate for Georgia’s governor to appear on the general election ballot.
The theme for this year’s observance of the King Day holiday is “Unity in the Community,” according to MLK Collaborative Chairman Renee Gee-Theophille.
Immediately following the conclusion of the parade a special ceremony will be held at Holder Park and the keynote speech will be given by Grand Marshal Monds.
Other program participants will include Pastor Cameron King, Judith Pinon of the city of Cairo, State Representative Gene Maddox, the Rev. Ruben Addison, Pastor Tom Burch, Annie Jones, Douglas Addison, Donny Clemons, Walking by Faith Ministry and Authur Walden.
Then on Monday evening, The Grady County Ministerial Alliance will host its annual Dr. M.L. King Jr. Commemorative Service at Greater New Corinth M.B. Church beginning at 7 p.m.
The featured speaker will be Dr. J.B. Duval of Tallahassee.
A highlight of the service will be the presentation of the Drum Major for Peace award.