MAKE A CAREER
OF HUMANITY
Please join us for the 36th Annual
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast
January 19th, 2026
6.45 AM
Doors open
7.30 AM
Breakfast Served
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Programming
Schedule
LOCATION
Programming Minneapolis Convention Center
Level One Ballroom
1301 2nd Ave S,
Minneapolis, MN 55403
keynote speaker
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
Advocate for Science and Technology Education for African Americans
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, is a charismatic and influential leader in education, currently serving as president emeritus of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County after two decades of dedicated service as president, where he championed the advancement of minorities in graduate studies. His commitment to social justice stems from his early involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, which included being jailed for nearly a week at the young age of 12 in Alabama.
Today, Dr. Hrabowski shares his expertise as a consultant, lecturer, and speaker, focusing on leadership, STEM education, workforce development, and civic engagement. He is an accomplished researcher and academic whose writings and publications are centered on science and math education, with a particular emphasis on minority participation and performance.
Dr. Hrabowski has been recognized for his transformative impact -- elected to the National Academy of Engineering, named the inaugural Centennial Fellow by the American Council on Education, and appointed by President Obama as chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Dr. Hrabowski was selected as the inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture Speaker by Harvard University, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has honored his legacy through the launch of the Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program.
keynote speaker
Soledad O'Brien
Award-Winning Journalist and Documentarian, Entrepreneur and Host of the Weekly Syndicated Political Show Matter of Fact
One of our nation’s most respected voices in journalism, Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, author, and founder of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a media company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories.
O’Brien’s most recent projects include the award-winning HBO Original documentary, The Devil is Busy, and the Netflix documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, which premiered at Sundance. She also co-hosted the hit iHeart podcast Who Killed JFK with Rob Reiner — one of Apple’s best rated shows of 2024 with over nine million listeners. That same year she released the documentaries War on La Radio and The End of Affirmative Action, winner of the Gold Telly. Her upcoming PBS series, She Was First, features groundbreaking figures like Ruth Carter and Misty Copeland, continuing her mission to elevate untold stories with impact and intelligence. She also anchored and produced Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien, a nationally syndicated Hearst political magazine program known for shaping public conversation.
A former CNN anchor and correspondent for HBO Real Sports, she has covered the major stories of our time, from international conflicts to Hurricane Katrina to presidential elections. Inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2023, O’Brien has received ten Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, and a DuPont Award, among many others.