The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast is scheduled for Jan. 20 in Minneapolis with a keynote address by journalist and Minnesotan Michele Norris.

The 35th annual breakfast, which host General Mills says is one of the largest in the country, will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. (doors open at 7 a.m., with pre-event programming starting at 7:30 a.m.) at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It’s held every year in support of the United Negro College Fund.

“Every year, the Breakfast brings together nearly 2,500 people – community leaders, elected officials, teachers and students, nonprofit members, corporate employees, and more – all who have a passion and commitment to bringing people together and serving others,” General Mills Communications Manager Mollie Wulff said. “Year after year, we hear that the breakfast is like ‘a big family reunion.’”

The theme of the new year’s event is “One People,” inspired by a message from Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

“The Breakfast is an opportunity for the local community to honor Dr. King and live out his message of unity and serving others,” Wulff said.

Award-winning journalist, radio host and author Michele Norris will speak on topics of race, culture and communication in America. The program will be moderated by Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity Founding Director, Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity, Dr. Rachel Hardeman.

A former NPR journalist, Norris was born in Minneapolis and “encouraged by her parents to read the newspaper and watch the evening news” growing up, according to thehistorymakers.org. She attended Washburn High School and eventually majored in journalism and mass communications at the University of Minnesota.

Norris reported for multiple media outlets including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and L.A Times. Because of her work, she has won numerous awards including the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement Award, the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence Award, Ebony magazine’s Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications Award and was named one of Essence Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Black Americans.

A current resident of Washington, D.C., Norris is also an MSNBC Senior Contributing Editor; founder of “The Race Card Project,” which asks people globally to share their thoughts and questions about race in six words; host of podcast “Your Mama’s Kitchen“; and author of the New York Times Best Selling book, “Our Hidden Conversations,” which explores uncomfortable conversations surrounding race and identity.

Sounds of Blackness, a three-time Grammy-winning band that got their start at Macalester College, is scheduled to perform at the event as well. The band’s sound is a blend of jazz, blues, spirituals, rock and roll, hip-hop and soul. Threads Dance Project, with a Choral Reading by VocalEssence Singers of this Age, will also be performing.

Proceeds from the breakfast will go to UNCF Twin Cities, helping under-represented students attend college in honor of King, who graduated from a historically Black college.

“We are grateful for General Mills’ partnership in bringing this cornerstone event to the Twin Cities community every year,” Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF said in the release. “This event helps provide life-changing support for students to help them get to and through college and go after their dreams.”

To purchase tickets and for more event information, visit MLKBreakfast.com.

Originally Published: December 25, 2024 at 11:29 AM CST