Unity Breakfast to Commemorate MLK Legacy

Update: Due to overwhelming demand, the 2023 Unity Breakfast is sold out and tickets will not be available at the door.

UW Tacoma’s Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast is back following a two-year, pandemic-related hiatus. This year’s event is Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, from 8 to 10:30 am at the University YMCA Student Center. Advance tickets are $15 per person ($20 at the door). The event is open to the public.

The Unity Breakfast started in 2008 as a way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy. The annual event brings together students, staff, faculty, alumni as well as members of the larger community.

The theme of this year’s Unity Breakfast is “Your Voice is Heard: activism, even in small ways, makes a difference.” The keynote speaker is Dr. John Gaines. Gaines grew up in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. He had a challenging childhood. At age seven, Gaines’ mother, who struggled with drug addiction, died from a stroke. The young Gaines also dealt with depression and learning disabilities.

Gaines overcame this adversity and went on to earn a Doctor of Business Administration degree from California Intercontinental University. In 2012 he founded Push for Dreams. The nonprofit supports, trains and equips “school administrators, district administrators, professionals, educators, parents, and caring adults with inspired learning, focused on service-leadership, DE&I, and culturally responsive teaching.” Gaines’ talk will focus on pushing through adversity and overcoming the odds.

As in years past, the 2023 Unity Breakfast is being organized and hosted by UW Tacoma’s Black Student Union (BSU). In addition to the keynote talk by Dr. Gaines, the event will include the presentation of Dream Awards to recognize students, faculty, community members and organizations for their work to promote equity, justice and civil rights.

The BSU has received support from units across campus, including the Center for Equity & Inclusion, Center for Student Involvement, Office of Community Partnerships and the Division of Student Affairs.

Event organizers encourage participation in the City of Tacoma’s 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Celebration, held in-person at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center (1500 Commerce St., just “down the hill” from the University Y), immediately following the Unity Breakfast, at 11 a.m., Jan. 16. That event will be broadcast live on TV Tacoma and on Facebook.