MLK breakfast in Minneapolis returns to in-person; "Keep Moving Forward" is this year's theme
MINNEAPOLIS -- For the first time since 2020 the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast was back in person in Minneapolis Monday morning.
The theme for the 33rd year of the event is "Keep Moving Forward," an ode to King's Founder's Day speech in 1960.
Roughly 800 people packed inside the Minneapolis Convention Center, with thousands more watching online to celebrate King through music, dance and motivational speeches.
This year's keynote speaker was Valerie Jarret, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, businesswoman and best-selling author.
The event is put on in partnership with General Mills and the United Negro College Fund and is one of the largest in the country that honors King's life and legacy.
It's also a huge fundraiser, raising money for scholarships through UNCF for under-represented students in the Twin Cities.
Community leaders said while great progress has been made, this event also sheds light on how difficult the journey has been and how much further we need to go in order to get to a world that is truly equal for everyone.
They say even more than 60 years later, King's message resonates now more than ever.
"We know the work he started back in the 60s is still of critical importance to us today in 2023," said Laverne McCartney Knighton, the area development director for UNCF. "We still need people to realize that we have to continue to speak up be engage, be the change that we want to see and keep his dream alive, that all of us can walk together on this earth united and addressing economic disparities, addressing educational opportunities that are available so we really want people to realize that everybody has an opportunity to do what's right."
The event was presented in a hybrid format. In addition to the in-person breakfast, the event was also streamed online with watch parties taking place across Minnesota.
The event has raised nearly $7 million to support more than 400 programs and 37 academic institutions supported by UNCF.