By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

The Selma Chapter of Links, Incorporated had a full house Monday for its 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast.

Co-chair Patricia Robinson was happy about the turnout and how the morning progressed.

“It gives us a chance to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and to reflect on his commitment to the community and helping people to work together,” Robinson said. “Every year it’s always packed, so they enjoy themselves.”

At 7:30 a.m., plates of bacon, sausage, muffins, grits and scrambled eggs along with juice, water and coffee were served.

After giving attendees a chance to eat and mingle, Charlotte Griffeth, president of the Selma Chapter of the Links, introduced the keynote speaker.

“I am proud to declare that Selma blood runs through our speaker’s veins,” Griffeth said.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Meria Joel Carstarphen, superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools.

She has nearly 20 years of diverse experience in education administration in locations all over the country as well as across the globe.

But she started her career beginning as a middle school teacher in Selma.

Carstarphen said it is important to remember the legacy of those before us, but she believes the idea of unity is more important.

“It is even more important today that as a country, as a state, as a city, that we embrace the concept of unity- the very thing this breakfast is about,” Carstarphen said. “There is nothing like the settling in the tummy of grits and bacon to bring people together and warm your heart as well as your body but it goes deeper than that.”

She said unity is an area that Selma still needs to work on and coming together to reminisce on the past isn’t enough.

“It is not enough to think about the past… our legacy for the future means that we must come together in unity as a people,” Carstarphen said.