Emancipation Proclamation service set Jan. 1

Staff report

YOUNGSTOwN

The Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Youngstown and Vicinity and the Baptist Pastors’ Council will host the annual community Emancipation Proclamation services at 10 a.m. New Year’s Day, at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 707 Tabernacle Blvd., formerly 707 Arlington St.

Judge Michael Ryan of Cleveland, serving the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile and Family, will be keynote speaker. He is the author of a self-published book titled “The Least Likely … Memoirs of Judge Michael Ryan ... from the Housing Projects to the Courthouse.” It chronicles his rise above harsh life circumstances of exposure to drug-addicted parents, domestic violence and placement with the foster care system.

This annual event, the longest continuous African- American community celebration in the Mahoning Valley, recognizes the commemorative signing by President Abraham Lincoln of the document that abolished the legalization of slavery in the United States.

The Rev. Chris McKee is the host pastor, and the Rev. Dr. Lewis Macklin and the Rev. Larry Parker are the presidents of the sponsoring organization.

At 30, Judge Ryan became the youngest person ever appointed to a full-time magistrate position with the Cleveland Municipal Court. He first was elected to a full six-year term on Cleveland Municipal Court bench Nov. 8, 2005, and re-elected to another six-year term without opposition Nov. 8, 2011. He subsequently was elected in November 2012 to his current position.

As a member of the 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland, Judge Ryan tutored students at Daniel E. Morgan elementary school preparing them for the Ohio Assessment Test, and he also functioned as a facilitator for Teen Domestic Violence workshops.

Judge Ryan is a 2004 inductee into the Cleveland Heights High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame and a past finalist for both the Cleveland Browns Community Quarterback Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award.

He also was honored by Allegheny College as the recipient of the Gold Citation Award for his Outstanding Professional and Volunteer Achievements. He is a recipient of the “Citizen of the Year” award from the Zeta Kappa Kappa Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He is married and has two children.

The recipient of the annual Rev. Elizabeth Powell Heritage Award also will be announced at this service.

The award recognizes community leaders who have advocated for social justice and the ideals of peace. The service will conclude with an installation and commissioning service of officers of faith and community organizations as well as elected and appointed public officials. The installation will unveil and showcase the collective leadership within the black community.

The IMA and BPC share similar missions, which are to promote ecumenical fellowship in a united effort for the good of human welfare; promote pastoral dignity and ethical fellowship with one another; cultivate and advance faith principles and values among all people; direct available resources toward relevant social issues and causes; and to establish partnerships with faith-based and community organizations that work toward eradication of racial and social-justice inequities.