WORCESTER, MA – January 14, 2026 – On Monday, January 19, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Community Breakfast will celebrate the legacy of Dr. King at Assumption University. Founded in 1985, Worcester’s MLK Breakfast has been a staple in the city for the past 41 years.
“This event is an opportunity for people to enjoy themselves and continue the legacy of Dr. King,” said Nellie Toney, co-chair of the MLK Breakfast Committee. “Hundreds of people from all races, religions, ages and genders gather together. To keep that going for 41 years is a beautiful thing.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Jennifer Davis Carey, former director of the Worcester Education Collaborative. Carey has served in a variety of positions in the K-12 and higher education sectors, including director of minority recruitment at Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, as well as director of college counseling and director of diversity at Bancroft School.
The breakfast will also acknowledge several award winners for their community service, including Worcester firefighter Kervin Lima, president of the Worcester NAACP Fred Taylor, and former co-chair of the MLK Breakfast Committee Philip Niddrie. As an original member of the committee, Niddrie dedicated 40 years to Worcester’s MLK Breakfast.
Several students will also be awarded scholarships, funded through the MLK Breakfast Committee’s scholarship subcommittee and yearly golf tournament. The committee has awarded over $200,000 since the scholarships began in 1985. Quinsigamond Community College also funds a scholarship as part of the breakfast.
The public is welcome to attend the breakfast by purchasing tickets online at QCC.edu/mlkbreakfast by Thursday, January 15, 2026. After this date, contact Rose D'Errico at rderrico@qcc.mass.edu for tickets. Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. with the program starting at 8:00 a.m.
Those attending the breakfast are asked to bring a new, age-appropriate book (related to MLK or diversity) for second and third-grade students. These will be distributed in Worcester public elementary schools for students to take home. Tidepool Bookshop in Worcester is offering a discount on books purchased for this event.
The Worcester Area Mission Society and United Congregational Church (WAMS) are coordinating the book drive and can purchase a book for anyone who prefers to give a cash donation through the WAMS website wamsworks.org/donate.
Community-based organizations will also attend the breakfast to offer information about their work and solicit volunteers.