MINNEAPOLIS, MN — General Mills (NYSE: GIS) presents the 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast in support of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The event will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Jan. 20, 2025, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Doors open at 7 a.m., with pre-event programming beginning at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are available at MLKBreakfast.com.
The Minneapolis-based event is one of the nation’s largest annual Dr. King breakfast celebrations and raises funds to help under-represented students in the Twin Cities get to and through college. This year’s event theme “One People” was inspired by Dr. King’s message, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
At this year’s event, Minnesotan award-winning journalist, radio host and author, Michele Norris, will speak to race, culture and communication in America, moderated by Blue Cross Endowed Professor of Health and Racial Equity Founding Director, Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity, Dr. Rachel Hardeman.
In honor of Dr. King, who graduated from a historically Black college, proceeds from the breakfast will benefit UNCF Twin Cities, helping under-represented students attend college or member historically Black colleges and universities. “We are grateful for General Mills’ partnership in bringing this cornerstone event to the Twin Cities community every year,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “This event helps provide life-changing support for students to help them get to and through college and go after their dreams.”
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast inspires action in the world and honors those in the community who uplift others. Consider the unique ways that you can make a difference and take action to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by visiting handsontwincities.org/mlkday2025.
An award-winning journalist, one of the most recognized voices in radio, and Minnesota native, Michele Norris engages audiences in candid discussions about race, culture, and communication in America. From the radio airwaves of NPR and primetime television to leading news publication such as The Washington Post, and author of Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race (January 2024), Norris is one of the most trusted voices in American journalism. On stage, she inspires open and honest dialogue, with memorable stories and fascinating perspectives drawn from her personal journey, investigative research, and interviews with world leaders, Nobel Laureates, and influential newsmakers.
Musical entertainment will be provided by three-time Grammy-winning Sounds of Blackness. Since their beginning in 1971 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., Sounds of Blackness has blended jazz, blues, spirituals, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, gospel, hip-hop and soul in performances around the world.
There will also be a special performance by Threads Dance Project, with a Choral Reading by VocalEssence Singers of this Age.
The annual holiday breakfast began when General Mills and UNCF joined together in 1991 to host a community celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Past speakers include Dr. Bernice King, Yolanda King, Ambassador Andrew Young, the Honorable Eric H. Holder, CNN’s Laura Coates, Valerie Jarrett, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harry Belafonte, Rev. Joseph Lowery, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Donna Brazile, Vernon Jordan and former Massachusetts Gov. Devel Patrick.
Additional support has been generously provided by Best Buy and Target, the event’s top sponsors, in addition to 3M, Allina Health, Andersen Corporation, Cargill, Carlson Family Foundation, C.H. Robinson, CHS, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Ecolab, Medtronic, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx, Mortenson, SPS Commerce, United Health Group, Wells Fargo, Winnebago and Xcel Energy.
To purchase tickets for the event or for more information, visit MLKBreakfast.com. The event strives to provide accessible experiences for all and will include an ASL interpreter. The event will be broadcast live on WCCO AM 830 and will stream on WCCO-TV’s free streaming channel CBS News Minnesota beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to boldly build its brands, relentlessly innovate, unleash its scale and stand for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names like Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. General Mills generated fiscal 2024 net sales of U.S. $20 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1 billion.
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X at @UNCF.
