The City of Jacksonville, along with its partners, the Jacksonville Branch NAACP, the Jacksonville Urban League, and the JAX Chamber, invite the community to the 38th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast presented by Florida Blue on Friday, January 17, at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. Breakfast begins at 7 a.m., followed by the program at 8 a.m., led by hosts Dawn Lopez from Action News Jax and Anthony Austin from First Coast News. The theme of this year’s event is “Audacious Faith in the Future,” which is a phrase from Dr. King’s 1964 Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech.
The program will feature a keynote address by Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
King: A Life. In addition, Mr. Eig will engage in a Fireside Chat with Isaiah M. Oliver, President of the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Other highlights celebrating Dr. King’s legacy include commemorating the 125th anniversary of
Lift Every Voice and Sing, a hymn deeply rooted in Jacksonville's history.
This year’s program will also celebrate the “2025 Tomorrow’s Leaders presented by VyStar Credit Union” winners, honoring local students who embody Dr. King’s service, leadership, and civic responsibility principles. For the first time, the 2025 competition introduced new artistic components alongside the traditional essay submissions. Winners were chosen from essay, poetry, and visual arts submissions inspired by Dr. King’s powerful quote, “We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”
The 2025 Tomorrow’s Leaders winners are:
High School - Poetry
- 1st Place Winner: Kynlei Gibbs - 9th Grade - Riverside High School
- 1st Runner Up: Juriyah Gilmore - Grade 9 - Riverside High School
- 2nd Runner Up: Zohli Harris - Grade 9 - Riverside High School
Middle School - Visual Arts
- 1st Place Winner: Diego Muñoz - Grade 7 - Westview K-8
- 1st Runner Up: Delilah Meza - Grade 7 - Landmark Middle School
- 2nd Runner Up: Amari Saint-Vil - Grade 8 - Matthew W. Gilbert Middle School
Elementary School - Essay
- 1st Place Winner: Tyson Jones - Grade 5 - Biscayne Elementary Leadership Academy
- 1st Runner Up: Millionaire Paige - Grade - Andrew A. Robinson Elementary
- 2nd Runner Up: Skye Stuckey - Grade 5 - Biscayne Elementary Academy
Tickets are available at
JaxMLKBreakfast.com.
Reserved tables for 10 must be purchased by January 10, 2025. Individual tickets can be purchased up to the event or until they are sold out. Tickets are $70, with corporate tables at $700. Parking is free, but attendees are encouraged to arrive early.
About the City of Jacksonville Office of Sports and Entertainment
The City of Jacksonville Office of Sports and Entertainment attracts, hosts, and creates opportunities that drive economic impact, accelerate the Jacksonville brand, and improve the quality of life and cultural engagement for visitors and residents. Jacksonville hosts hundreds of diverse events yearly, making Northeast Florida a premier destination with rich tradition and world-class hospitality. For more information, visit events.coj.net.