The City of La Vergne invites the community to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at its annual Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, January 21st.
Alderman Calvin Jones and Event and Athletic Coordinator Felicia Mayes will host the free event, which will include remarks by La Vergne Alderman Calvin Jones, La Vergne State Farm business owner Tom Clark and Brenda Bryant, Executive Director at Life of Victory International Christian Ministries.
“Our celebration offers our community a unique opportunity to reflect on Dr. King’s impact,” said Alderman Jones. “It also gives us the chance to discuss the work that still needs to be done to break down barriers and reestablish relationships in our community and across the country.”
Cake and punch will be served following remarks.
When: January 21st, 10:00 a.m.
Location: La Vergne City Hall Board Room
5093 Murfreesboro Road, La Vergne
Theme: “The time is always right to do the right thing.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Speakers: Alderman Calvin Jones
Vice Mayor Matt Church
Tom Clark, La Vergne State Farm Business Owner
Brenda Bryant, Life of Victory International Christian Ministries Executive Director
About Alderman Calvin Jones
Alderman Jones moved to La Vergne in 2001. He is a notary public and has been employed for more than 25 years with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Alderman Jones is an Army veteran as well as a former Tennessee State Trooper. He received his education from multiple universities, both during his military tour overseas and in the United States. The main disciplines of study for Alderman Jones were criminal justice and public relations.
Alderman Jones currently serves on the La Vergne Library Board and is the former Chairman of the La Vergne Planning Commission, a past member of the Citizen Review Board and the Board of Zoning and Appeals.
About Tom Clark
A 1971 graduate from Tennessee State University, Clark joined the United States Air Force Captain, reaching the rank of Captain. While on active duty, he enrolled in and later graduated from Pepperdine University in 1976 with a Master of Arts degree. He later became a Human Resources professional with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville before relocating to Murfreesboro in 1982 to work for Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation in Smyrna. In 1989, Clark officially opened his State Farm Agency in La Vergne where he still works today.
From 1982-85 he served as the Founding Board Member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund in Murfreesboro. He served as a board member at StoneCrest Medical Center from 2007-13 as well as a commissioner for the Murfreesboro Planning Commission from 2002-17. He currently serves as a council member of the La Vergne Economic Development Committee after being appointed in 2012.
About Brenda Bryant
Brenda Winfield-Bryant serves as the Executive Director of Life of Victory International Christian Ministries, a non-profit Ministry and HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency serving Rutherford County. Brenda has over 40 years of experience in Ministry and Housing and Community Development. She began her career in Housing Counseling in 1979 when she completed her Senior Field Placement in College at the Nashville Urban League.
During her tenure, she organized with local Pastors and Community leaders the first Martin Luther King rally in Nashville, Tennessee; she also co-founded the African Cultural Alliance which sponsors the Annual African Street Festival on Tennessee State University’s campus. After ten years, she joined the staff at the Detroit HUD office in the Single-Family Department. During her second year in Ministry School she and her husband were selected to relocate to Nashville to help plant a church. When her department was transferred, she founded Life of Victory International Christian Ministries, located in La Vergne, Tennessee.
