“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” is the theme for the 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, to be held Jan. 18 at St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood.

Presented by the African American Catholic Center for Evangelization, the event hopes to bring attention to the need for immigration reform, said Audrey and Anderson Shaw, co-directors of the AACCE. Cardinal Roger Mahony, a leading advocate for humane immigration reform, will be the featured speaker.

“There is a direct connection to Dr. King and Cesar Chavez’s farm workers movement and immigration reform,” said Audrey Shaw, noting that on Sept. 22, 1966, Dr. King sent a telegram to Cesar Chavez extending a “hand of fellowship and good will.”

“The fight for equality must be fought on many fronts --- in the urban slums, in the sweat shops of the factories and fields,” Dr. King wrote. “Our separate struggles are really one --- a struggle for freedom, for dignity and for humanity. You and your valiant fellow workers have demonstrated your commitment to righting grievous wrongs forced upon exploited people. We are together with you and in determination that our dream for a better tomorrow will be realized.”

“Today,” said Shaw, “there is an ongoing relationship with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization founded by Dr. King, and Paul Chavez, Cesar’s son.”

David Fields, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Los Angeles, will emcee the event, which begins at 8 a.m. at St. Mary’s, 701 Grace Ave., Inglewood. A $25 donation is requested. Information: (323) 777-2106.

On Jan. 20, the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clark, Our Lady of the Angels Region bishop, will preside, and Father Michael Ume, pastor of St. Bernard Church in Bellflower, will be the homilist.

The 5 p.m. Mass is presented by the archdiocese in collaboration with the Knights of Peter Claver and the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is located at 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles. Information: (213) 680-5200.