Rev. Dr. Michael A. Evans, Sr. To Keynote MLK Advancing The Dream Gala

Published on December 19, 2022

The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Evans, Sr., Mansfield Mayor and longtime pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield

By Office of Communication

The Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee announced the Rev. Dr. Michael A. Evans, Sr. as the keynote speaker for the 2023 MLK Advancing the Dream Gala.

For more than three decades, Evans has served as pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, Texas. Since being elected in December 2020, Evans serves as Mayor of the City of Mansfield. Evans was elected and served on the Mansfield Independent School District Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2016, including two years as board president. Additionally, he was as an administrator with the Tarrant County College District, with coordination and oversight responsibilities for the district’s ESL and Adult Basic Education Centers. He was a member of the TCC Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2020.

The Gala, which includes dinner, special tributes, entertainment and scholarship and award announcements, is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 inside the University Center’s Bluebonnet Ballroom on The University of Texas at Arlington campus. Individual tickets or a sponsorship table for eight can be purchased at on the UTA Tickets website.

The event is part of the annual Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Four-Day Celebration. As one of the largest celebrations in the state, this four-day event attracts thousands of Arlington-area residents each year. The 2023 Celebration runs from Friday, Jan. 13 through Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. The theme for the 2023 festivities is “Advancing the Dream: Moving Toward Unity, Justice and Peace.”