Leading 

Onward 

Elevating New Voices For Justice And Equality

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walks between seven-year-old Eva Gracelemon, left, and 10-year-old Aritha Willis as he escorts black school children to formerly all-white schools in Grenada, Miss., Tuesday morning, Sept. 20, 1966.

The breakfast celebrates Dr. King and creates an imperative to live out his legacy today in our homes, our communities, and our world with proceeds benefitting UNCF Twin Cities to support local students of color to attend college and member HBCUs.

Celebrate with us again

If you missed the event live, or want to watch it again, the recording of the 34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast is here.

January 15, 2024 – Minneapolis, MN

Convention Center Exhibit Hall A

We are thrilled to announce that we will be returning for a live, in-person event at the Minneapolis Convention Center with more details on our program, speakers and entertainment coming soon.

7:00 a.m.

Doors open

7:30 a.m.

Welcome and breakfast served

8:00 a.m.

Program begins

Portrait of Marley Dias smiling with head tilted to the side

Meet Marley

Keynote Speaker

Marley Dias is an activist, author, contributor, cultural influencer, speaker, founder, and producer known for her passionate advocacy for representation across mediums.

As a current Harvard student, Marley writes for the Harvard Crimson. She also contributes to national publications including Rolling Stone and X. She serves as the National Education Association’s (NEA) National Ambassador for their Read Across America campaign where she continues to inspire and empower young people to use their voices to make positive changes in their communities and the world at large as she’s been publicly doing since she was 11 years old.

Dr. Yohuru Williams

Moderator

Dr. Yohuru Williams is Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. He received his Ph.D. from Howard University in 1998.

He is the author and editor of several books, including Rethinking the Black Freedom Movement, They Call Him Jack: The Story of Jackie Robinson, Black Freedom Fighter, and More Than A Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom.

Dr. Williams has also appeared on a variety of local and national television and radio programs, most notably the History Channel, CNN, Fox Business News, NPR, BET, and ABC. His scholarly articles have appeared in the American Bar Association’s Insights on Law and Society and the Journal of Civil and Human Rights.

Professional photo of Dr. Yohuru Williams wearing a suit, sitting alone in auditorium in a folding seat with his hands together

Music from…

Group shot of the band KNOWN

KNOWN

Known MPLS, an audition-based youth choir founded by Courtland Pickens in the summer of 2019, stands as a beacon of recognition and empowerment for young voices in Minneapolis. A vibrant extension of Voicez, Inc., a nonprofit music organization dedicated to nurturing the next generation of singers and composers across the Twin Cities, Known MPLS thrives under Courtland's direction. Guided by the ethos of galvanizing youths aged 12-25 as catalysts for change, Known MPLS fosters a transformative space, instilling self-esteem, leadership, cultural appreciation, discipline, and a pursuit of excellence among its members.

Group shot of the band NUNNABOVE

NUNNABOVE

Entertainment will be provided by Minnesota’s four-sibling family band, NUNNABOVE. The group describes their sound as “positive alternative pop,” and appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2018. The group has since performed at Summerfest, the largest outdoor venue in the country and the Minnesota State Fair.