The fifth annual Southern Maryland Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast will be held on Monday, Jan. 19. As a start to the 375th anniversary year of the founding of Historic St. Mary’s City, the breakfast will highlight the life of America’s first black legislator.

On the eve of the inauguration of America’s first African-American president, breakfast attendees will hear about Mathias de Sousa, who in 1641 became a member of the colony’s General Assembly, becoming the first African of mixed descent to hold public office in America.

Breakfast service begins at 7 a.m. at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, with the program scheduled from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The service will feature guest speakers Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), SMCM Professor Garrey Dennie, and Dr. Janice Talbert Walthour. The breakfast is in the college’s Great Room, located on the second floor of the Campus Center.

Admission is $7 and includes a full breakfast. The event is sponsored by SMCM and the St. Mary’s County Human Relations Commission. Early arrival is recommended as space is limited, but advanced registration is not required. For more information, contact Judy Carr at (240) 895-4191