Martin Luther King, Jr.
Breakfast Roundtable
Breakfast Roundtable
Each year at the MLK Celebration Monday Roundtable Breakfast, a question or theme is considered and discussed.
In 2015, Dr. Gene Ray Nichol Jr., a constitutional lawyer and Director of the UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity,
delivered the keynote address. He spoke of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and as
human being, and called for our renewed dedication to Dr. King's inspiration and challenge.
Themes and Questions from Recent Years:
2014
2014 King Challenge: An Activity to Promote Service in the Community
In an effort to encourage service based on the philosophy espoused by Dr. M. L. King, Jr., the MLKCC initiated a program based
upon one of his quotes that promotes service and defines greatness.
He said on one occasion that— "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree
to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, and a soul generated
by love." In addition, he said, "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with
painstaking excellence."
2013
What dream do you have today for our community? For our Nation?
2011
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
How does Dr. King's statement ring true today?
How can we as individuals make injustice a thing of the past?
2010
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said:
"The time is always right to do what is right."
Do you think the time is now right to bring healing to
the world?
If so, how and where do we begin?
2009
Will the Obama Factor diminish or enhance the efforts
for equality in America, or will it be a non-factor?
Consider all facets of the challenges before
America. Dr. King had a vision of change; what is the
reality of change for total Human Rights? What are you
willing to do for change? As an individual, a family, a
community, a business, a school, etc.
2008
As children we are playmates and friends, and again as
seniors we enjoy working together, but sometime in
between we distance ourselves from one another. Why or
when do we lose our color-blindness?
2007
Dr. King's dream envisioned that we all would be able
to sit at the table of human brotherhood and all
children would be judged by the content of their
character and not by the color of their skin. In his
life, he worked tirelessly serving others; he tried to
love everybody, to feed the hungry, and serve humanity.
Thirty-nine years since his death, we now ask - "Are we
there yet?"
Do we all sit at the table of human
brotherhood in our daily living?
Are all children judged by the content of
their character and not by the color of their skin?
Are we trying to serve others, feed the hungry, and
love and serve humanity?
2006
The fact that we are human beings is infinitely more
important than all the peculiarities that distinguish
human beings from one another.
We need every human gift and cannot afford to neglect
any gift because of barriers of sex, race, class or
national origin.