'We have the power to change lives': Inspiring words at the annual MLK Prayer Breakfast
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This year marks the 56th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. On Friday, speakers at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast urged attendees to make an impact in people’s lives like King did.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida Inc. hosted the annual gathering at the Best Western Gateway Grande Hotel, 4200 NW 97th Blvd., Gainesville. The event was a continuation of the organization’s 40th year anniversary, and the theme was: “King Commission: 40 Years of Legacy.”
This year’s keynote speaker was 2023 Drum Major for Justice Faith Award Recipient Pastor LaShon Young of Fresh Start Ministries. Young shared how important it is to not "waste the dash" of life. We must help others by making an impact on their lives, Young said, and not focus on doing things to impress others.
“Your legacy is left to be shared throughout generations,” Young said. “Your dash is your legacy. Men and women emerge at the face of conflict and their emergence become their legacies.”
Young said it is important to use the challenges in life as an opportunity to use your gifts to help others, just as King and Jesus did.
“We have the power to change lives,” Young said. “As we see the challenges, I don’t want us to miss the opportunities. Let us use our voices and power to positively impact the lives of others.”
Margaret Harris, an MLK Commission of Florida Inc. board member, was the ceremony's hostess. The event featured prayers from pastors Kevin Thorpe of Faith Baptist Church, the Rev. John Coward of Abiding Faith Christian Church, Willie King Jr. of Showers of Blessings Harvest Center, and Gerard Duncan of Prayers By Faith Ministries.
There were greetings from Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward; Diyonne McGraw, Alachua County School Board chair; Justice Alexander, 2024 Edna M. Hart Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient; and Daryl Anderson, president of the Nu eta Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
This year’s recipient of the 2024 Joseph “Joel” Buchanan Drum Major for Justice Scholarship Award is Garyel Tubbs, a senior at Eastside High School in the International Baccalaureate program.
Tubbs was diagnosed with Menorrhagia and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and faced discrimination in healthcare from physicians. She founded a nonprofit organization called Empower HER to help young women and advocate for their reproductive rights.
Tubbs writes poetry and aspires to become a Navy attorney. She plans to attend Hampton University or Howard University.
“I created my nonprofit organization to teach them (other women) about their reproductive health and rights and to not let them go through what I went through,” Tubbs said.
Rodney Long, MLK Commission of Florida Inc. president, presented a $10,250 check for Tubbs and awarded her with a plaque. (The commission provided $5,000, and the rest came from attendees who donated money during the event.)
Last year’s Joseph “Joel” Buchanan Scholarship Award recipient, So’ Unique High, is a P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School graduate and is currently a freshman at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee.
She gave a speech on how the funds raised for her collegiate endeavors are helping her as a FAMU student.
High thanked MLKCOF and sponsors for the donations they raised last year, which totaled $18,225.
“Thank you to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida because I was able to reach my dream to go to the top HBCU,” High said. “The university pushed me to be the greatest person I can be. To all of the past recipients, your support system is in this room and I wholeheartedly believe you will continue to lead the community in a positive light.”
This year’s 2024 Drum Major for Justice Faith Award recipient is the Rev. Marie Herring, Dayspring Missionary Baptist Church and chaplain of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission of Florida, Inc.
Herring will be next year’s keynote speaker during the annual breakfast.
“I am in good company,” Herring said. “I am standing on the shoulders of LaShon Young and Rev. Geraldine McClellan. I accept this award on behalf of my family, who traveled from Atlanta; my church; and my husband, Pop, who has been my backbone and has supported me for 53 years.”
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Scholarship awarded during annual MLK Prayer Breakfast in Gainesville
