It's all about the message. That's the summation of Michael Eric Dyson's speech at Monday's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at Peoria Civic Center. Main event coordinator Alma Brown says Dyson's talk was well received. Brown says the final product eased the strife her committee went through trying to secure a final speaker for this year.
Actor Forest Whittaker had to cancel and former NFL star Emmitt Smith had scheduling conflicts. Tavis Smiley was contracted, but local groups complained and threatened to boycott the event. That's when Dyson stepped in. Brown says all told, 1,400 tickets were sold, only 100 less than last year.
Brown also says despite paying Dyson and a portion of Smiley's fee, her group is in good shape financially to secure a high profile speaker next year.
