Midwest City marks 29th MLK Prayer Breakfast

Leaders reflect on legacy, education and service

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Midwest City observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its 29th annual MLK Prayer Breakfast Monday morning at the Reed Conference Center, centering on this year’s theme, “Where Do We Go From Here,” as civic leaders, clergy, educators, students and community members reflected on Dr. King’s legacy and the work that remains.

Langston University President Dr. Ruth Ray Jackson served as the keynote speaker, delivering a wide-ranging address built around Dr. King’s enduring question. Jackson thanked organizers for sustaining the event for nearly three decades.

“For 29 years, you have done more than host a breakfast. You’ve sustained a movement,” Jackson said.

Jackson reflected on her memories of the federal recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, noting that while the holiday became federal law in 1986, her home state did not recognize it until 2000. She recalled how churches and educators stepped in to ensure the day carried meaning.

“So that is what a beloved community does,” Jackson said.

She connected Dr. King’s question, Where do we go from here?, to modern challenges, including education, economic opportunity, healthcare access and social division.

“Dr. King understood something that is essential,” Jackson said. “Civil rights without economic justice leaves the work unfinished.”

Jackson emphasized education as a cornerstone of the “Beloved Community,” highlighting partnerships between schools, churches, cities and industry. She pointed to Langston University’s collaborations with Tinker Air Force Base and the Air Force Sustainment Center as examples of workforce pipelines designed to keep talent in Oklahoma.

“Anyone who knows anything about Langston University knows that the motto, ‘Enter to learn and exit to serve,’ is something that we believe in wholeheartedly,” she said.

Jackson closed by urging action guided by the event’s theme.

“So where do we go from here? We go forward. We go forward together,” she said. “We chose courage over conflict, we chose community over division. We chose education, opportunity and justice. We chose to build a beloved community.”

The program also included presentation of the Clara Luper Community Service Award, named for the late Oklahoma City civil rights leader. This year’s recipient was Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, recognized for his leadership and efforts to elevate the city’s civil rights history.

In accepting the award, Holt called it “incredibly meaningful” to be honored in Clara Luper’s name.

“When I became mayor years ago, the story of Clara Luper and the story of the civil rights movement in Oklahoma City was really largely unknown outside of the African American community,” Holt said. “We’ve changed that over the last 10 years.”

Holt also used the moment to encourage civic participation, stressing the importance of inclusive decision-making.

“I want the next governor and the next senator and the next everybody to have to face all of you,” he said. “I love to represent everybody in Oklahoma City, and I want everybody to have that opportunity.”

The Mid-Del Honor Jazz Band opened the program, followed by the presentation of colors by the Carl Albert High School JROTC. Pastor E. Jennings Tyson of New Hope Baptist Church and Pastor Brent Hazelrigg, youth pastor at Country Estates Baptist Church, delivered the invocation and benediction.

Midwest City Mayor Matt Dukes was surprised with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beloved Community Service Award during what organizers noted was his final prayer breakfast as mayor.

“This is given in recognition of your vision, courage, dedicated leadership and continuous service,” said DesJean Jones, assistant chair for the MLK Prayer Breakfast Committee.

The MLK Prayer Breakfast Education Committee also awarded scholarships to two Carl Albert High School students. Leona Hall and Yasmine Vick received the Thomas Michael Jahn Scholarship, named in honor of the former Midwest City police chief who helped found the prayer breakfast.

The breakfast concluded with recognition of prayer breakfast committee members, announcements of additional MLK Day events, the Black National Anthem and a closing prayer.

Organizers noted the Midwest City prayer breakfast remains part of a broader Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance across the metro, including one of the nation’s largest MLK parades in Oklahoma City, as well as marches, job fairs and community programs focused on justice, equality and unity.