MSJC Hosts Annual MLK Breakfast Honoring Legacy of Service, Compassion, and Justice
1/23/2026
Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) welcomed students, faculty, and staff to its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast on January 22 at the Menifee Valley Campus, continuing a longstanding tradition of reflection, dialogue, and community, honoring the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Citlali Gonzalez, Dean of Student Services, welcomed attendees and shared a land acknowledgment recognizing the Indigenous peoples of the region. Dr. Pamela Wright, MSJC Sociology Instructor and Umoja Club advisor, then offered a labor acknowledgment, honoring the labor and contributions that sustain the college community.
The event opened with remarks from Dr. Tolulope Babalola, MSJC Political Science Instructor and advisor to the A2Amend student club, who framed the morning around Dr. King’s moral courage and commitment to justice. In his remarks, Dr. Babalola reflected on the relevance of Dr. King’s message today. “From Dr. King, we learn empathy with care for those in our community who live at the intersection of diversity,” he said. “A great nation is a nation of compassion and care. His message was not always popular in his time, yet he continued to speak. As Dr. King reminded us, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. We are called to challenge acts of injustice in our own communities to carry his legacy forward.”
Two student voices were central to the program. Cara Ayitey, secretary of the Umoja Club and president of Qwueens, shared a personal reflection on first learning about Dr. King in elementary school while watching Selma. She spoke about the philosophy of love that anchors Umoja practices, noting, “We owe each other our authentic selves, and collectively, we owe that to society.”
German King, representing A2Amend, highlighted the Umoja principle of power and Dr. King’s use of freedom of speech as a tool for change. “We have the ability to lift our voices to help change minds,” he said. “We are the ones who project his voice in today’s world.”
The keynote address was delivered by Aaron Evans, a mathematics and computer science major from California State University, San Bernardino, and an accessibility expert. Evans received a standing ovation for an original poem inspired by Dr. King’s belief in living a complete life.
He then reflected on nonviolence not as a tactic, but as the foundation of Dr. King’s philosophy. “He confronted evil without adding to it,” Evans said. “His message was not only for his time, but for ours. What is a person’s worth? There is something in human beings that can’t be estimated in dollars and pennies. Today, we see the fruits of his labor—I can see them in this room.”
MSJC Superintendent/President Dr. Roger Schultz reflected on the importance of gathering as a college community, based on Dr. King’s words: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
“Coming together for moments like this reminds us that education is not only about knowledge, but about humanity,” Dr. Schultz said. “When we gather as a college community, we recommit ourselves to leading with love, listening with intention, and caring for one another. These values strengthen our campuses and prepare our students to lead with compassion in a complex world.”
MSJC’s annual MLK Breakfast serves as a meaningful opportunity for reflection, learning, and unity—reinforcing the College’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and the shared responsibility to advance justice through education.