SEMO alum keynotes MLK Jr. celebration dinner at Show Me Center

Southeast Missouri State University graduate and attorney Zaki Ali was the keynote speaker at SEMO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Show Me Center.

Ali spoke about both his mother’s and MLK’s struggles in their lived experiences. Ali said his mother was wrongfully indicted and sent to federal prison after the president of the board she was involved in was found to be misusing federal money.

He said, despite the struggles in her life, she never “wavered in her faith”. Ali also talked about the allies, enemies and hurdles MLK Jr. faced.

Ali said he faced his own struggles in education when he graduated from high school as a special education student with a 1.67 GPA. After Ali’s mother realized he was struggling, she had him tested and they realized he had dyslexia.

After being let go from the Miami Dolphins training camp following his football career, Ali set his sights on law school. He said he passed the bar test on his third try.

Ali ended his speech by telling the crowd he had learned he had to stay resilient, courageous and faithful.