City, civil rights groups to host virtual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfasts

Events honor Dr. King’s life and legacy of service

Orlando civil rights icon Pappy Kennedy was honored during an annual prayer breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (News 6)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations will be held in Jacksonville on Friday morning.

The city of Jacksonville is inviting the community to celebrate the life, legacy and service of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 34th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast presented by Florida Blue.

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The event will be streamed live on Friday from the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. The YouTube livestream pre-show will begin at 8 a.m. and the live program will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The event is free but those interested in virtually attending the event should pre-register for a digital ticket.

This year’s event will feature a panel of community leaders that will be discussing racial injustice, education, healthcare, economic mobility and other moderated questions.

Panelists include City of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools and 2021 Florida Superintendent of the Year Dr. Diana Greene, UF Health CEO Dr. Leon Haley and United Way of Northeast Florida President and CEO Michelle Braun. The breakfast will be hosted by News4Jax anchor Joy Purdy and Tenikka Hughes from Action News Jax and moderated by Anthony Austin from First Coast News.

For free virtual registration to the livestream and more information, please visit JaxMLKBreakfast.com.

The Jacksonville Branch NAACP, SCLC, AAMLC and former Mayor Alvin Brown will host the 34th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Empowerment Virtual Breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday.

The theme of this year’s breakfast is: “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” which is a 1967 book by African American minister, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and social justice campaigner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Due to COVID-19 the event will virtually honor civil rights advocates by highlighting their achievements and commitment to the Jacksonville community.

Featured speakers include Leon Russell, chairman of the board of the NAACP and Bishop A.J. Richardson, senior bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. News4Jax Anchor Melanie Lawson emcees the event.

The breakfast is free to watch, but people are urged to RSVP online.

Stream breakfasts:

About the Author:

Carianne Luter is a social media producer for News4Jax and has worked at Channel 4 since December 2015. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in communications.