WARREN.
MORE ON THIS STORY COMING UP IN
OUR MORNING HEADLINES.
TODAY AMERICA HONORS A CIVIL
RIGHTS ICON.
PEOPLE IN THE TWIN CITIES
WILL GATHER FOR SEVERAL EVENTS
ON THIS DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR. DAY.
GOVERNOR TIM WALLS WILL ATTEND
THE CELEBRATION IN ST. PAUL THIS
MORNING.
MANY YAUZ THIS DAY TO GIVE BACK.
IT'S A REAL DAY OF VOLUNTEERING
ACROSS THE METRO AREA BUT
CELEBRATIONS GET STARTED THIS
MORNING.
THE ANNUAL MLK BREAKFAST IN
MINNEAPOLIS.
THIS IS GROWING TO BE QUITE AN
EVENT ON THE NATIONAL RADAR.
CHRISTIAN LIVE AT THE ARMORY
THIS MORNING AND THERE'S A BIG
TIME GUEST SPEAKER THERE.
YES, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL
ERIC HOLDER WILL BE THE KEYNOTE
SPEAKER.
2500 PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE
ARMORY.
NICK DIXON, THE GENERAL
DIRECTOR, BIGGEST EVENT OF THE
YEAR BUT THE FIRST FOR YOU.
YEAH, WE ARE THRILLED AS YOU
MENTIONED 30 YEARS NOW THE
GENERAL MILLS FOUNDATION AND
TOGETHER WITH THE COMPANY AND
OUR PARTNERS AT UNCF HAVE HOSTED
THIS EVENT AND WE COULD NOT BE
MORE THRILLED WE HAVE 2500
PEOPLE JOINING US FROM ALL OVER
THE COMMUNITY TO CELEBRATE
THIS IS YOUR FIRST YEAR AS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BUT YOU HAVE
BEEN PART OF THIS EVENT FOR THE
PAST EIGHT.
HOW HAVE YOU SEEN IT EVOLVE IN
THE PAST EIGHT YEARS?
SO CERTAINLY EVERY YEAR WE
CONTINUE TO GROW IN TERMS OF
PARTICIPATION IN THE ROOM.
WHAT'S REALLY EXCITING THIS YEAR
IS WE HAVE ADDED THIS FREE LIVE
STREAMING OPTION ONLINE.
SO NOW ANYONE, ANYWHERE, SCHOOLS
AND FAMILIES CAN LIVE STREAM AT
MLK BREAKFAST.COM.
WE DID THAT TO MAKE THE EVENT
AND SPEAKERS MESSAGES AS BROADLY
ACCESSIBLE TO AUDIENCES AS
POSSIBLE.
WE'RE ALSO THRILLED WE HAVE U.S.
ATTORNEY ERIC HOLDER HERE TODAY
TO DELIVER HIS MESSAGE ABOUT HOW
DR. KING'S DREAM REALLY INSPIRED
AND GUIDED HIS OWN JOURNEY.
I KNOW THAT USUALLY IT'S A
HIGH PROFILE SPEAKER.
LAST YEAR IT WAS JOHN LEMON.
SPEAKING INTO THE NATIONAL
IMPACT, PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO
KNOW MINNEAPOLIS HOST THIS EVENT
WITH THIS KIND OF CALIBER.
TELL US ABOUT THAT AND WHAT
RESONATES WITH THE AUDIENCE.
FIRST OF ALL, BACK IN 1.991
IT WAS WHEN UNC AND GENERAL
MILLS HAD THIS IDEA TO CONVENE
AROUND DR. KING'S LEGACY AND NOT
JUST COMMEMORATE IT BUT BRING
THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO
INSPIRE AND ACTIVATE.
IT'S ABOUT TRYING TO BRING
PEOPLE TOGETHER YEAR AFTER YEAR
IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO REALLY
CELEBRATE HOW THE ISSUES AND ALL
THAT WAS ADVOCATED FOR ARE
RELEVANT TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
THERE'S A CALL TO ACTION TOO IF
YOU WANTED TO DO THE LIVE STREAM
OR VOLUNTEER AT U.S. BANK
STADIUM.
THAT'S HAPPENING AFTER THIS
EVENT WRAPS UP AT 9:30.
THERE'S ALSO A TEXT TO GIVE.
TEXT UNCF 17 TO 4144 AND THAT'S
THE WAY TO TEXT TO GIVE.
ALL RIGHT, CHRISTIAN, OVER AT
BE MUCH LOVED MEMBERS OF HER
ROYAL FAMILY.
TODAY THE NATION IS MARKING
THE LEGACY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR..
EVENTS ARE PLANNED ACROSS THE
STATE TO HONOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS
LEADER.
THE GOVERNOR ATTENDING THE
STATE'S ANNUAL CELEBRATION IN
ST. PAUL.
EVENTS ARE ALSO PLANNED OUTSIDE
THE METRO IN PLACES LIKE
ST. CLOUD AND FER GUS FALLS.
THE MLK BREAKFAST IN
MINNEAPOLIS, CHRISTIAN IS LIVE
THERE AT THE ARMORY THIS
MORNING.
CONTRIBUTION, TELL US ABOUT IT.
ALLEY, FIRST OF ALL IT'S A
BEAUTIFUL VENUE.
THEIR SECOND YEAR HERE AT THE
ARMORY AND JOINING ME LA VERN
WITH UNCF.
YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THIS EVENT
FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS.
YOU MISSED ONE BUT WE CAN LOOK
PAST THAT.
I KNOW IT GETS BIGGER AND SEEMS
LIKE EVERY YEAR WITH 2500
PEOPLE.
YES, IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS HAVE ALWAYS
DELIVERED FULLY AND EVEN WITH
THIS YEAR'S KEYNOTE SPEAKER ERIC
HOLDER JR., WE ARE LOOKING
FORWARD AND ANTICIPATING HIS
MESSAGE BEING ONE THAT IS GOING
TO REALLY RESONATE WITH WHAT'S
GOING ON IN TODAY'S WORLD.
HE WILL START HIS MESSAGE IN
ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO.
TELL ME ABOUT THE SENSE IN THIS
ROOM THAT YOU FEEL WHEN WHOEVER
THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS, CAPTURE
THAT FOR ME AS FAR AS
EMPOWERMENT.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT ALL WE
HAVE DONE WITH THE EVENT OVER
THE YEARS, EVERY YEAR WE COME
WITH EXPECTATIONS AND WE'RE
INSPIRED TO LEAD AND TAKE
ACTION.
WE'RE INSPIRED TO SERVE AND LEAD
AND HONOR DR. KING'S LEGACY IN
SO MANY WAYS BY JUST BEING
BETTER HUMAN BEINGS AND BETTER
CITIZENS IN THE GLOBAL SENSE.
TELL ME ABOUT UNCF.
THE UNITED NE GO COLLEGE FUNDS
GETS THE MOST OF MINORITY
NONPROFIT IN THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE THE OLDEST LARGEST
MINORITY EDUCATION ORGANIZATION.
WE PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO
STUDENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND
OVER RIGHT HERE IN MINNESOTA,
OVER 100 SCHOLARSHIPS ANNUALLY
AND WE GIVE AWAY $1.1 MILLION IN
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS HERE
IN MINNESOTA GOING TO COLLEGE.
IN EVERY COLLEGE THEY CAN FATHOM
IN THEIR MINDS, WE PROVIDE
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THOSE STUDENTS
GOING TO HISTORIC BLACK COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES AND
PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS
AS WELL.
WE WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE OUR
STUDENTS ARE GETTING THE FUNDS
THEY NEED TO REMOVE THE BARRIERS
THAT WILL PREVENT THEM FROM
BEING ABLE TO GO TO COLLEGE.
SOME STUDENTS WILL BE HERE
TODAY AS WELL.
YES, SOME OF THEM HERE IN
VIDEO.
THEY'RE ALL BACK AT SCHOOL.
SO THEY WILL BE TELLING THEIR
STORY THROUGH A VIDEO WE WERE
ABLE TO CAPTURE WHICH WAS
WONDERFUL WHILE THEY WERE HOME
OVER THE HOLIDAY BREAK.
WE HAVE PAST RECIPIENTS HERE
BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO SCHOOL
LOCALLY.
BUT THE ONES WHO RECEIVED
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THIS YEAR ARE
ON VIDEO.
EXCELLENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
THERE'S A WAY TO GIVE BACK TOO
AS SHE MENTIONED.
PART OF A SCHOLARSHIP EFFORT TO
HELP RAISE MONEY.