General Mills and UNCF’s 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast will return in-person for the first time since 2020 with a corresponding virtual program. Former senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, businesswoman and best-selling author Valerie Jarrett will share keynote remarks followed by a moderated conversation with Minnesota attorney, legal and political analyst, Abou Amara. The hybrid event will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Jan. 16, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. CST. Tickets are available at MLKBreakfast.com.
Organized by General Mills and United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the Minneapolis event is one of the nation’s largest celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy and raises funds to help under-represented students in the Twin Cities successfully graduate from college. This year’s event theme is “Keep Moving Forward,” inspired by Dr. King’s leadership and lessons applied to the pressing social issues of today.
“Each year, this event gives us the opportunity to come together to reflect on the lasting legacy of Dr. King and how we can continue to advance the causes he fought for in our own communities,” said Mary Jane Melendez, Chief Sustainability and Global Impact Officer at General Mills. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a world that reflects Dr. King’s dream and to advancing a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging.”
General Mills and UNCF have a shared, long-standing commitment to addressing the need for deep, lasting changes to the systemic inequity faced by BIPOC communities. In honor of Dr. King, a 1948 graduate of Morehouse College, a historically Black college, net proceeds from the event benefit UNCF Twin Cities’ MLK Legacy Scholarship, which supports local students of color to attend colleges and member Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Through this partnership, General Mills has provided nearly $7 million to support more than 400 programs and 37 academic institutions supported by UNCF.
“The legacy and words of Dr. King continue to inspire our advocacy for the importance of minority education and community engagement,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “We are grateful to work in partnership with General Mills to bring our community together each year and build up the essential support and awareness for our students and HBCUs.”
The annual holiday breakfast and support of UNCF remains a priority for General Mills as part of its enterprise-wide “G Stands for Good” purpose platform, which is rooted in two foundational pillars – planet and people – and guides the company’s goal of creating meaningful change, building a culture of belonging and taking action on issues of racial and social justice within our communities.
Community Engagement Opportunities
The MLK Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis continues to inspire change in the world and honor those individuals whose footprints uplift the community. Following the breakfast, members of the Twin Cities community can engage through a variety of learning and volunteer opportunities organized by Hands on Twin Cities. Learn more at https://www.handsontwincities.org/mlkday2023.
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Author: BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors
