ORLANDO, Fla. – The 33rd annual Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Prayer Breakfast started with a powerful message from former Florida Congresswoman Val Demings, this year’s keynote speaker.
“I stand before you here today because of people like Arthur ‘Pappy’ Kennedy, who looked for a trail. (He) looked for a trail to follow and did not find one but instead of running away saying this is too scary and too hard, he said, ‘I’m not giving up,’” Demings said.
Hundreds gathered Monday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kennedy, Orlando’s first elected Black official.
“He inspires me every single day. Whatever I dream of that I can do, especially being in the community. I’m from Washington D.C., so I do a lot of community outreach back at home just to continue his legacy and what he instilled in me,” said Brittney Waters, Kennedy’s great-granddaughter who has been attending the prayer breakfast since she was 11 years old.
Kennedy was elected in 1973 and re-elected in 1976 with 78% of the vote, the largest percentage in Orlando’s history.
Kennedy is also known for inspiring local leaders in Central Florida.
“He was a great man. A kind man. A man about community service and even the Kennedy family after the breakfast we get to help U.S. hunger by packing a million meal, so that’s the legacy that we continue on,” Waters said.