COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Thursday morning Texas A&M University hosted its annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at the Memorial Student Center on campus. The annual event kicks off Black History Month celebrations and events across campus.
"The biggest thing was keeping it a secret, right?" Event Director J.J. Torres said. "Once we were able to finally reveal to the campus who our guest speaker was this year Dr. Bernice A. King, it was a combination of accomplishment and relief."
Torres and the MSC Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee welcomed Dr. Bernice A. King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., to Aggieland. The minister, attorney, and CEO of the King center shared words of wisdom and inspiration with those in attendance.
"Non-violence appeals to that higher self. It calls you up, not just calls you out, it calls you up," King said. It causes you to see the ugliness of your ways, and If I get ugly with you you'll never see it."
Today's event was the first with a full audience since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approximately 730 people in attendance sold out the breakfast.
"With the MLK breakfast itself, it does kick off the Texas A&M Black History Month celebration," Torres said. "For those who want to come on campus, you'll see plenty of events occurring starting in February."
The MSC WBAC will be hosting two events for BHM, a western-African film festival on February 9, and a dinner with a keynote speaker to close out the month on February 28.