January 31 – February 9, 2019

Legacy Week was started in 2004 by St. Petersburg natives Pastor J.C. Pritchett and his wife Karen. It celebrates people and groups with different backgrounds coming together for the greater good. This year’s theme is Family Reunion. For complete information, please visit https://legacyweek.org

Legacy Lecture
Dr. Susannah Heschel – Featured Speaker

One of the week’s events is the Legacy Lecture. This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Susannah Heschel, Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College. She is the daughter of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, confidant and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was Rabbi Heschel who brought Dr. King and his message to a wide Jewish audience, and it was Dr. King who made Rabbi Heschel a central figure in the struggle for civil rights. They often lectured together as their shared concern was “saving the soul of America.”

Dr. Heschel will speak on at 6:00 p.m. on January 31, 2019 at USF St. Petersburg, University Student Center in Ballroom 1. The message she will share of these two contemporary prophets is steeped both in American history and Florida’s. While our state now boasts of ethnic, political, religious and economic diversity, it was once a bastion of segregation. Both Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King affirmed that the struggle against racism was an interfaith effort, with Herschel declaring, “You cannot worship God and at the same time look at man as if he were a horse.”

An accomplished author in her own right, Dr. Heschel’s lecture of her father’s legacy will include inspiring and thought-provoking excerpts of both the Rabbi’s and Dr. King’s writings that will gift the audience with a deeper understanding of the bonds these men shared – their passion for justice, peace and equality. The lecture will bring to light their steadfast friendship, one not all people know about and the intense involvement of the Jewish people in the Civil Rights Movement.

To learn of the legacy of Rabbi Heschel, a man who lived a life of deep thought and vigorous action, in an intimate lecture setting and through the eyes and voice of his daughter, will be a powerful, memorable experience for all who attend. Following the lecture time will be set aside for audience interaction/discussion with the speaker and among themselves. This program is free and open to the public. Complimentary parking will be available in the USFSP parking garage.

Legacy Awards Dinner

The highlight of the week is the Legacy Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 5pm. This year’s Legacy Awards Dinner will honor local nominees Dr. Ray Arsenault, Dr. Allyson Watson and Bob Devin Jones. Location: Empath Health • 3050 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712. Cost is $50.00/person.

Legacy Prayer Breakfast

Legacy Week culminates on Saturday, February 9 at 10am with a Prayer Breakfast at 10am at the Maximo Presbyterian Church. Location: 3200 58th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712
$20.00/person.