Award-Winning Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault Speaks at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist with more than 40 years of experience in television, radio and print, addressed a sell-out crowd of 2,000 at the 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast at the Minneapolis Convention Center this morning. Recalling the challenges she faced as the first black woman admitted to the University of Georgia, Hunter-Gault highlighted the value of education in her community, even when schools were far from equal. "Education was the key to our freedom,” she said, noting the importance of developing "layers of armor that allowed me to answer the call” to serve. These layers, she said, were "the values of our community, our home, our church.” Hunter-Gault recently rejoined National Public Radio as a correspondent following six years as CNN’s bureau chief in Johannesburg, South Africa. For two decades, she worked for PBS, where she served as national correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” and anchored the award-winning newsmagazine on human rights, "Rights and Wrongs.” In urging continuation of the work of Dr. King, Hunter-Gault challenged breakfast guest to reach out to others, whether they are across an ocean or in our own backyards. With a theme of "Answering the Call,” the 2008 MLK Jr. Holiday Breakfast featured a new community service component that asked breakfast guests – as well as television viewers – to fill out commitment cards pledging to volunteer in the community in the coming year. The effort is expected to generate thousands of hours of volunteer service in the Twin Cities in 2008. Potential volunteers can learn more about service opportunities – ranging from mentoring a child to serving meals – at www.mlkbreakfast.org. In welcoming guests, 2008 MLK Jr. Holiday Breakfast Committee Chair Kenneth Charles noted that Dr. King was a young man new to his community when he "answered the call” to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Today, "can we count on you to answer the call?” he asked. The event also included remarks from Deborah Tansil Graham, United Negro College Fund regional director, and Ellen Goldberg Luger, executive director of the General Mills Foundation. Both praised the work, spirit and legacy of Dr. King and encouraged continued dedication to those ideals. The breakfast – hosted by WCCO-TV’s Angela Davis – also featured musical performances from Melinda Doolittle of "American Idol” fame and Gregory Washington & Voices of Praise. As in past years, the breakfast was broadcast live on Twin Cities Public Television, and will be rebroadcast Monday at 7 p.m. on Channel 17. Among the viewers of the morning telecast were approximately 1,000 citizens who attended the six free community breakfasts hosted by the St. Paul Area Council of Churches. Each year, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the General Mills Foundation host the annual MLK Jr. Holiday Breakfast, a Twin Cities tradition at the Minneapolis Convention Center that kicks off a day of metro-wide celebrations. The event honors Dr. King’s contributions to the civil rights movement, which not only transformed American laws and life, but also inspired worldwide human rights reforms. This is the 18th year that General Mills and UNCF have collaborated on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast. Previous speakers have included U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Juan Williams, Vernon Jordan, Alex Haley, Cicely Tyson, Yolanda King, Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III. As the nation’s oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund’s mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25 percent of African-American baccalaureate degrees. The General Mills Foundation, celebrating more than 50 years of giving, is a champion for stronger communities. In fiscal 2007, General Mills awarded $82 million to communities across the country, representing more than 5 percent of company pretax profits that year. Of the total, the General Mills Foundation contributed more than $20 million in grants in the targeted areas of youth nutrition and fitness, social services, education, and arts and culture.