Scranton minister, a native of Sharon, will speak at MLK Day ceremonies

MERCER, Pa. -- The Rev. Alphonse Allen Jr., a native of Sharon and pastor of Bethel AME Church in Scranton, Pa., will be the featured speaker Monday at a celebration of freedom and liberty in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The event is sponsored by the Mercer County Anti-Discrimination Commission and the Underground Railroad and Abolition Era Discussion Group of the Mercer County Historical Society.
It will begin at 9 a.m. with an assembly at Magoffin House of the historical society at 119 S. Pitt St.
Participants will march to the courthouse at 9:15 a.m. to lay a wreath at the Civil War Monument on courthouse grounds and then move into the courthouse rotunda for the program.
The Rev. Mr. Allen, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio, is a behavioral specialist for the Family Enrichment Center in Scranton and a community activist in Lackawanna County as well as liaison for the Lackawanna Prison Ministry.
Before moving to Scranton, he was an active member of the Shenango Valley community, serving as first vice president of the NAACP, a board member of Southwest Gardens Economic Development Corp. and a member of Black Men for Progress.