MLK Day of Service Lecture at Scotch Plains Public Library

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, the public is invited to gather at the Scotch Plains Public Library for a 2pm talk and discussion on social and cultural competency by Rev. Dr. Reginald O. Davenport, interim pastor of St. John’s Baptist Church in Scotch Plains. Social competence refers to the ability to get along with others, and cultural competence refers to the ability to be sensitive to people from cultures and/or belief systems other than one’s own.
Dr. Davenport holds a B.A. in History from Jersey City State College (New Jersey City University); an M.A. in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Seton Hall University; and a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Education and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on cultural competence and has spoken on the topic at national and statewide conferences.

The talk, with refreshments to follow, is co-sponsored by Social Justice Matters, Inc. and the Scotch Plains Public Library as part of a community-wide participation in MLK Day of Service. Register for the talk on the library’s website or the MLK Day of Service website. The library will be closed for regular business that day.

At 4:00 pm, books for participants who have registered for the library’s Beyond To Kill a Mockingbird book and film series will be distributed. There will be an opportunity to chat about the series with Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps, who will lead discussions, and with the librarians who organized this series. The Beyond To Kill a Mockingbird series was made possible in part by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Funding by the Friends of Scotch Plains Public Library has been instrumental in bringing this series to the public.

Scotch Plains Public Library programs are free and open to the public. The Scotch Plains Library is located at 1927 Bartle Avenue, one block from Park Avenue in the center of town. For more information, please call the library at 908-322-5007 x204.