History of Reverend J. L. King
In an era of segregation, a black itinerant minister from Starkville, Mississippi named Reverend J.L. King sought to bridge a divided community. Rev. King led initiatives to achieve the access needed for every member of the community to more fully participate in the progress of Starkville and Oktibbeha County. He acquired property in the city to establish a rest area where blacks, traveling from the far reaches of the county, could access restrooms, water, and a space to tend to the needs of their children while conducting business in town. People donated their time, skill, and money to further develop the facility. This rest area would become the first library for blacks in Oktibbeha County.
Rev. King would pioneer many more endeavors, such as facilitating the hiring of the first black police officer, initiating work on West Side Park (known today as J.L. King Memorial Park), and playing an integral role in establishing the first integrated public library -all in the pursuit of improving quality of life for all.
- Compiled by Paul Luckett from information from the Starkville Library
Creating Pathways to Prosperity
Reverend J. L. King was a Starkville native who believed in creating access to success, what we call “Pathways to Prosperity.” Friends of the J. L. King Center is a registered nonprofit organization designed to support this work at the J. L. King Center. We do this through programs that:
Remove barriers to academic success, and provide tools for success in the areas of health, finances, and relationships - Education
Support, develop, and improve independent businesses - Entrepreneurship
Retool and match highly qualified individuals with higher-paying jobs - Employment
Our Board of Directors meets monthly to guide programs, promote the Center, and secure funding.
Our Staff consists of some of the most committed residents in Oktibbeha County:
Margaret Brown - Youth Development Coordinator
Angel Christian - Curriculum Coordinator
Rudi Rudd - Public Relations Specialist
Shelton James - Vista Worker
The Starkville Daily News published an article on Margaret Brown, the backbone of the center, on December 16, 2021. We love you Ms. Margaret!
We couldn’t succeed with our programming without our volunteers:
We partner with so many churches, civic, and social organizations and individuals to make our programs a success! If you are interested in joining these efforts, please email lharris@jlkingcenter.com
Board of Directors
Dr. Don Shaffer
Mrs. Elmarie Carr Brooks
Dr. Kenya Cistrunk
Dr. Alison Buehler
Dr. Lauren Priddy
Dr. Lori Staton
Chuck Ware
Katie Buys
Dominique Pugh
Dr. Lenora Hogan
Joe Williams
Dr. Matthew Priddy
Anti-discrimination Policy
J. L. King Center believes in the principle of equal opportunity for all. This principle will be strictly adhered to in order to ensure that equal employment opportunity is available to all persons regardless of race, age, color, sex, marital status, sexual preference, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.