JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville will partner with local organizations to hold a joint celebration for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast in 2024, after five years of holding separate breakfasts on the same day.
During a press conference on Monday, Mayor Donna Deegan made the unifying announcement alongside leaders from the Jacksonville NAACP, Jacksonville Urban League, JAX Chamber, and Jacksonville City Council.
"For a variety of reasons, five years ago, we began to have competing MLK breakfasts in Jacksonville," said Deegan. "We are closing that chapter. It is a new day, we are returning to one Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast moving forward," said Deegan.
The MLK Jr. breakfast has been an annual tradition in Jacksonville since 1988.
Deegan recognized the original creators of the first MLK Jr. breakfast in Jacksonville, including Bill and Sandy Bond, Ronnie Ferguson, and Luke Sadler.
"Truly they are the reason that we even have a Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Jacksonville," said Deegan. "Bill and Sandy returned from an MLK event at Morehouse College in Atlanta and began putting together the city's very first MLK breakfast."
Back then, with the help of the President of the Jacksonville Urban League, Ronnie Ferguson, the legal council at the JAX Chamber, Luke Sadler, and NAACP President Willye Dennis, the group unified to put together an event to honor the legacy of Dr. King.
"They kept it going with an event that grew every single year, and it was not until 2009, that the City of Jacksonville under Mayor Peyton got involved and joined the team," Deegan said. "I share their belief in unity, and I'm grateful we can continue carrying on that legacy, today."
City Council is expected to pass a $284,000 budget for the event Tuesday evening, Deegan said.
Local partners announced for the first time that they will also participate in an MLK Week of Service after the breakfast which is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2024.
From Jan. 12-20, United Way and local partners will highlight Dr. King's efforts to establish a legacy of unity throughout the community with the help of a week of service.
This will be done through neighborhood-based volunteer projects that will take place across three counties: Duval, Clay and Nassau. The projects include home repairs, food distributions, and neighborhood canvassing.
Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin doesn't want this special occasion to be the only time important issues are discussed on a broad community scale.
"As we gather for this upcoming breakfast to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King, we must also address where we go from here, " Rumlin said.
Issues like economic and social justice, equal rights, quality education, health disparities, women, and LGBTQ rights, are just a handful of the issues Rumlin said he hopes city leaders continue to address, even after the MLK Jr. breakfast.
"These are issues that must be addressed, not by a one-day event, of shaking hands with each other," said Rumlin.
Chief of Diversity and Inclusion Parvez Ahmed said that in honor of the groups coming back together after spending some time apart, the theme for the breakfast is "Love and Light: Strength Through Unity," which is inspired by a quote from Dr. King's 1963 novel entitled "Strength to Love."
When asked what led the organizations to part on the breakfast in the first place, Deegan said "It wasn't one thing, I think it was a variety of things."
"I don't want to really focus on that so much," Deegan said. "I think the most important thing is we're all here together today and we're all very committed to moving this work forward."
Deegan added that the recent hate in the community makes inclusive events like the MLK Jr. breakfast that much more significant.
"As we see these types of violent, divisive symbols that continue to show up in our community, I think it makes events like this that much more important," Deegan said. "Our message has to be that you're not going to divide us, together we are going to be here, and hopefully spread that further than Jacksonville."
The breakfast is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at the Prime Osborn III Convention Center, followed by a formal program hosted by First Coast News Anchor Anthony Austin.
Attendees are asked to buy their tickets online ahead of time. Individual tickets for the event cost $40 plus fees and full tables are available for $500 plus fees. Visit here for more on ticket information.