BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White will be the keynote speaker at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellowship Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 5 p.m. The Jesse White Tumbling Team will be featured, as well.
Co-sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan University and the United Community Gospel Singers of Bloomington and Normal, the event will be held in the Young Main Lounge of the Memorial Center (104 University St., Bloomington).
White was first elected to the office in 1998 as Illinois’ 37th Secretary of State and is the first African-American to hold the position. Before he was in office, White founded the internationally known Jesse White Tumbling Team in 1959. The group serves as a positive alternative for children residing in and around the Chicago area. Over 13,000 young men and women have benefited from the program since its inception. Making over 1,500 nation-wide appearances each year, the team has been featured during half-time shows for the National Basketball Association, and tapings of Late Night with David Letterman and Good Morning America, as well as a number of other programs.