More than 2,400 people attended the 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Friday at the Osborn Center.
It has become a tradition to have the event the Friday before the federal holiday honoring the birthday of the slain civil rights leader.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first observed Jan. 20, 1986.
The local annual event began in 1987 through the efforts of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, now JAX Chamber, the Jacksonville Urban League, the NAACP and the City of Jacksonville.
One of the founders, Bill Bond, said the inaugural event marked a change in the city’s collective attitude.
“At that time, many of our citizens didn’t wish to recognize this holiday. We were determined to do something about that,” he said.
The community came together at dawn Friday to celebrate for the 25th time King’s life and work.
“It’s wonderful to see so many people from all over the city here to celebrate the life of Dr. King,” said Mayor Alvin Brown.
Brown took the opportunity to promote his “Mayor’s Mentors” program, an effort to recruit adult role models to mentor young people.
“We all must find a calling or an issue to make the world a better place. For me, that’s education,” Brown said.
“Our future depends so much on our ability to encourage and inspire the next generation. Education is the great equalizer. If you work hard and play by the rules, you can live the American dream,” he said.
The keynote speaker for the silver anniversary breakfast was Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of the late Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr.
Before she began her presentation, King recognized Brown and his election as the City’s chief executive.
“As a history-maker’s daughter, I’m delighted to be here with another history-maker, Mayor Alvin Brown,” King said.
“There is a new day dawning in Jacksonville. You have crossed all kinds of lines with a platform of unity. You cannot go back to business as usual. Mindsets have shifted and new things will begin to happen for a new generation of people,” she said.
King then spoke of her father and his influence on America and on history,
“Any time Dr. King opened his mouth, because he was a prophet of God, his words were powerful. His words are still dangling in the atmosphere,” she said.
“As we celebrate Dr. King, we have to understand that we have been called to continue the movement that he created,” she said.
On the subject of education, King said that little real progress has been made since Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954 that declared “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
“We still have separate and unequal schools. Black and brown children are still not on a par with white children in terms of education,” said King.
“The problem is not that we don’t have what we need to make a difference. The problem is that we don’t have the will to make a difference,” she said.
“We have found the enemy. It is us. We are the problem. People have become complacent and indifferent.”
King said it will take a collective effort — she called it the “We Factor” — to improve education for all students. She also issued a challenge to the audience.
“If you really want to celebrate Dr. King, you’ve got to understand it’s more than coming together like we did today. The question is what are you going to do when you leave here?” she said.
“I think that when you leave here today, you should think about what the citizens of Jacksonville need to rally around and then go after it with all your heart,” King said.
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