The City of Jacksonville, along with the Jacksonville Branch NAACP, Jacksonville Urban League, and JAX Chamber, has announced the 39th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast. The event will take place in 2026. It aims to honor Dr. King’s legacy and promote unity and equality in the community. Mayor Donna Deegan invited all residents to attend and support the city’s goals of inclusivity and opportunity.
The 2026 program will include recognition of the Tomorrow’s Leaders contest winners, presented by VyStar Credit Union. The contest highlights students from Jacksonville who demonstrate leadership, community service, and civic responsibility. Winners were chosen based on submissions in essay, poetry, and visual arts, following the theme, “When Courage Leads, Love Follows.”
Janea White, a ninth grader at Westside High School, won the high school poetry category. Tamea Goodman from A. Philip Randolph High School was the runner-up. In the middle school visual arts division, Jordan Taylor from Westview K-8 won first place, and Nisha Gophinath of Freedom Crossing Academy was runner-up. For elementary school essays, Raquel Watson and Bryce Gravin, both fifth graders at Biscayne Elementary Leadership Academy, were named winner and runner-up…