Early in the morning on Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a celebratory breakfast was held at West High School to bring the community together and honor the holiday. The Black Student Union clubs from Tracy High, West High and Kimball High worked together to organize the event.
The event started at 9 a.m. with introductions from the BSU presidents from each school: Dzidzi Djonorh from Tracy High, Ava Bullock from West High and Rihanna Bwata from Kimball High. The program included the Black national anthem sung by West High’s choir, an opening prayer from Gwendlyn Stewart and the history of the MLK Breakfast presented by Olinga Yarber Alexander.
“The breakfast is all about celebrating our community, allowing people the chance to connect and network, but also a way for our students to really understand the importance of King’s goals,” Bullock said.
After the introduction, attendees were invited to get breakfast and return to their seats for the remainder of the program.
Every year, the MLK Breakfast has a keynote speaker who provides insight on how to apply King’s message to daily life and the community. This year’s keynote speaker was Melyssa Barrett from the Stockton NAACP.
“Know your story, join something bigger than yourself, protect one another, dream without apology, tell the truth with respect and courage,” Barrett said. “Do not let the noise of this world shrink the size of your spirit.”
There were several student performances, including a spoken-word poem from Tracy High, a performance by Kimball High’s dance team, a comedy skit from Williams Middle School, music from Tracy High’s jazz club, trivia hosted by Kimball High and a drumline performance by West High.
“I feel like it’s a second family,” said Lana Placido, a senior at Tracy High and a member of the jazz club who performed at the breakfast.
Many people attended the breakfast, including BSU members, parents, speakers and Tracy’s mayor, showing the community coming together for a meaningful event.
“To me, it shows how much we went through, how much we’ve overcome and who we are today,” said Matthew Jolly, a BSU member at West High.
The MLK Breakfast is a yearly event hosted by the Tracy Unified School District’s BSU clubs and focuses on food, community and empowerment.
