The annual MLK Holiday DC week kicked off at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church on Saturday with the 7th Annual Prayer Breakfast, where faith leaders, elected officials and community activists gathered with a shared purpose of empowerment and reflection in commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As the city prepares its annual tribute to the late justice leader, with this year themed “Commit to The Noble Struggle for Equal Rights,” the prayer breakfast encompasses the historic value of the Black church and Dr. King’s footprint: acting as a sanctuary for community, perseverance and sanguinity for social justice.
“Dr. King’s holiday is more than a reminder of the past. It’s a call to action for the present and for the future,” said D.C. Youth Mayor Tatum Primus at the annual event.
The prayer breakfast offered encouragement and inspiration for a week of action planned by MLK Holiday DC that includes: a memorial church service at Living Word Church (Jan. 13), a community clean up (Jan. 17), and the annual Peace Walk and Parade on Jan. 18, this year requiring free registration and hosted inside at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast D.C.
Traditions like the annual D.C. student essay contest, which will host its awards ceremony on Jan. 18, not only prompts critical thinking, but also emphasizes the importance of molding the future of youth leadership, an inherited commitment of King’s legacy that the District treats with gravity. Primus, an admirer of the late reverend’s philosophy to revolution, recognizes the call to empower young people to drive change, especially given the generational inequities that continue to hinder communities of color.
“From addressing systemic racism to combating gun violence, from advocating for education equality to fighting for criminal justice reform, there’s still so much to be done,” she said. “The baton has been passed, and now it’s up to us, the next generation, to carry it forward.”
Prayer Breakfast Reflects Resilience, Unity of Civil Rights Leader
With plates of creamy shrimp, scrambled eggs, and other assorted breakfast items, dozens of transformative figures and local residents convened on Jan. 11, offering marching orders and words of encouragement on behalf of Dr. King.
Speakers included: the Rev. Anthony J. Motley; U.S. House Rep. Oye Owelewa; D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb; and other faith and community leaders, all touting the importance of King’s ideals as a catalyst for change, even roughly 57 years after his death in 1968.
The annual celebration – a product of the MLK Holiday Committee, co-chaired by Stuart Anderson and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes – is not only an opportunity to recognize King’s birthday (Jan. 15). It is also a time to evoke his valiant spirit during the Civil Rights Movement – a period overcome with fear and inequity that is similarly felt among marginalized communities today.
“On the 7th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk and Parade breakfast, we are reminded that we are still short of realizing the dream that Dr. King spoke in 1963,” Motley told the congregation on Saturday. “If only we have the vision, the courage…and determination that he had, we must continue to fight for what’s right, fight for what’s good, and fight for what’s fair.”
Highlights of the communal gathering included the musical selections of Chloe Moses; various religious leaders’ prayers for peace, truth, unity, love and justice; a special presentation of awards to eight “community sheroes;” and a powerful message delivered by the Rev. Karen Curry, an associate minister at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, who reflected the intentionality behind faith-led principles in the fight for civil liberties.
“Grief and tragedy will always find their way to us, from Palestine to Israel, to the French Quarter, to Los Angeles, but we have to make time for joy,” Curry said. “Once we commit to shifting our focus solely on God…once we embrace the joy of the Lord, then we put ourselves in position to – in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church and not lose our authenticity. No matter what we face, when we intently focus on God, when we free up our finances and find a way to have fun along the way, God will give us everything we need to have the fortitude to be faithful, and it is then that we will be able to commit to the noble struggle for equal rights.”
In a fleet of hope, guest speakers reminded live attendees, as well as those virtually tuned in via livestream, that hope and resilience are staples of the Black and faith communities, and should be amplified amid the political turmoil being seen internationally and on American soil.
Former Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, who is also a candidate to take on the role again in 2025, was among those who urged the audience to see the event as a moment to “recommit yourself to making this world better.”
“If you can imagine, at a time of lynching, of open discrimination, that people had hope. They had hope of what they could achieve in this country and what they could make it be,” Baker said. “Nothing can stop us but ourselves. That is what we have to remember. That is what [MLK] taught about.”
Local Leaders Commit to Upholding King’s Legacy
In addition to a fulfilled appetite, the biggest takeaway of the MLK Prayer Breakfast was the emphasis on upholding a plan of action moving forward–encouraging community members and leaders to assume more responsibility in the continued fight for social justice.
Rep. Owelewa promised to preserve King’s ideals and Black history in the nation’s capital; while elected youth leaders Jakera Watson (Youth Ward 8 Councilmember), Amirah Bunn (Youth Attorney General), and Youth Mayors Judith Iweanoge and Primus demonstrated that real change happens when communities unite with a shared goal to make a difference.
“Dr. King’s dream wasn’t about changing laws. It was about transforming hearts and minds…creating a world where everyone, regardless of race, background, or zip code, can live with dignity and purpose,” Primus said. “This vision is something that we must strive to make real every single day.”
Meanwhile, At-large Councilmember Robert White spoke of his legislative commitments to restorative justice, affordable housing, and expanding educational and vocational opportunities in the District, noting plans of citywide mentorship and a free master’s program in social work at the University of the District of Columbia that’s set to start sometime this year.
For the Rev. Dr. Joseph Turner, senior pastor at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, the word ‘commit’ in this year’s celebratory theme is a major factor in affecting on-the-ground change nationwide, particularly in an age where “people are trying to rewrite history.” He told The Informer that he hopes opportunities like MLK Holiday DC and the annual prayer breakfast will inspire the next generation of civil activists to continue with the same passion and dedication as those that came before.
“The people of the Civil Rights era persevered until it was done–the bus boycott and other initiatives that took place, they saw it to its fruition and to its end,” Turner said. “If every person…can see themselves as someone who’s been summoned and called to address the needs in the community, I think our community and even our world will be a better place.”