Staff Report

NEW YORK, NY (January 13, 2026) — Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), today announced the organization will host its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Awards Breakfast with Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King in Washington, D.C. on Monday, January 19th.

Rev. Sharpton and NAN will this year recognize advocates who have advanced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream, including former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.; Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott; BET Co-Founder and the Salamander Collection CEO Sheila Johnson; Congressional Black Caucus Foundation President and CEO Nicole Austin-Hiller; veteran political strategist, former DNC Chair, and award-winning media commentator Donna Brazille; and youth leader Eric Carpenter-Grantham.

Immediately following the Legislative Breakfast, Rev. Sharpton will travel to the NAN House of Justice in Harlem to host the organization’s annual King Day Rally. There, New York City and State elected officials will join Rev. Sharpton to address the current issues that stand in the way of accomplishing Dr. King’s dream of a just, fair nation.

“The United States finds itself in a situation in which not only Dr. King’s legacy but his memory is under threat of being erased,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN. “National Action Network will not sit idly by as the rights, the laws, and the accomplishments he and many others fought, bled, and died for get pushed to the wayside. This King Day must serve as an activation — not simply a commemoration — of that legacy and the work still ahead.”

This King Day comes as the federal government continues to root out many of the things Dr. King fought for. Last month, the Trump administration came under fire after the National Parks Service removed King Day and Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021, from its free days in 2026 — yet added the president’s birthday to its calendar.

That capped off a year in which the Trump administration continued its crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in both the public and private sectors. Rev. Sharpton and NAN have led the effort against these actions through a series of measures — from buy-cotts in support of companies like Costco, to publicly calling out those who abandoned historic DEI commitments after the murder of George Floyd.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Awards Breakfast has been one of NAN’s premier events that brings together some of the nation’s top leaders. These include President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both of whom have also addressed the NAN Annual Convention that’s hosted every April in New York City. During his April 2024 address to the NAN Convention, President Biden called the organization “has been on the frontlines in the work to redeem the soul of America.”

WHO

Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NANHon. Eric H. Holder, Jr., 82nd Attorney General of the United StatesHon. Brandon Scott, 52nd Mayor of BaltimoreSheila Johnson, CEO of the Salamander CollectionNicole Austin-Hillery, President and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus FoundationDonna Brazile, Veteran political strategist, New Times bestselling author, former DNC Chair and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning media contributorEric Carpenter-Grantham, Co-founder, The Blue Runway for Autism and Creator, Eric’s ID Law