City, civil rights groups to host virtual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfasts
Events honor Dr. King’s life and legacy of service
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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.
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.
Jacksonville’s Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast rift continues for third year
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the third year in a row, Jacksonville will have two large breakfasts to honor Martin Luther King Junior Friday morning.
The city held one and local civil rights groups hosted the other. Both were virtual this year because of the pandemic.
The Split
The split happened in 2019 after 32 years of sharing one event. Local civil rights activist groups said city officials were shutting them out of planning the breakfast event.
The mayor’s office denied the accusations, saying they invited the groups to several meetings.
Isaiah Rumlin has come to expect calls from the media ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
As head of the NAACP s Jacksonville branch, he got them again this year because for the third year in a row there will be separate citywide breakfasts to honor the slain civil rights leader where there used to be one. Friday the local NAACP will host the 34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Empowerment Breakfast, while City Hall will have its 34th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
Both will be virtual. A parade follows Monday in downtown Jacksonville.
That s why for the past two years the NAACP decided to have its own breakfast rather than go downtown and shake hands for two hours at the city event, he said. And that s why the group will likely continue to host its own version in the future.
Jacksonville’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast will be a virtual event this year because of COVID-19.
In a news release distributed Jan. 7, the city of Jacksonville invites the community to celebrate the life, legacy and service of the late civil rights leader at the 34th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast presented by Florida Blue.
The event will be free and open to the public via a virtual live stream Jan. 15 from the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center.
The preshow on YouTube will begin at 8 a.m. and the live program will begin at 8:30 a.m.
This year’s event will feature a panel of community leaders that will discuss racial injustice, education, health care, economic mobility and other questions.