A symbol of community, love, justice and more, Martin Luther King Day has become a day for others to celebrate those qualities and the man at the center of a movement that remains important today.

In Cranston, the state comes together every year to celebrate the federal holiday through a special breakfast where scholarships are given to college students.

The MLK Scholarship Breakfast is an event put together by the Ministers Alliance of Rhode Island, an organization made up of pastors and ministers from across the state.

The Rev. Lauri Smalls, treasurer of the Alliance, said the organization has been celebrating the national holiday since its inception.

The scholarship breakfast has been used as an opportunity to give students seeking higher education financial help. Particularly focused on youth of color and from minority communities, Smalls says the Ministers’ Alliance wishes to assist and further their educational pursuits through these awards.

“That's the real emphasis of this particular breakfast,” Smalls said. “We demonstrate in real ways how faith and community works go hand in hand. That was the life of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. He didn't just stay inside the walls. He came out to improve the community. And that's what we're here to do.”

Smalls said she believes the Ministers Alliance has bestowed over $1 million in scholarships and has been able to help over 300,000 students.

She said the organization understands that succeeding academically can unlock many doors.

Calling it one of the premier events in Rhode Island celebrating Dr. King, Smalls highlighted the continued support of legislators and elected officials.

Some include Gov. Dan McKee, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and state Sen. Lammis Vargas.

Vargas says she has been coming to this event for several years and it is a day when we should be honoring Dr. King’s legacy and celebrating him. With events like this breakfast, Vargas says it is a way to support the next generation of leaders through education, empowerment and equity.

She described the scene and program Monday morning as inspiring to see the community come together to support the young recipients of the scholarships.

“Dr. King laid down the groundwork and has brought us this far, but there's still a lot of work to do in my lens,” Vargas said. “And so, in this case, is really coming together as a community and being present. So, it's just one way of obviously being able to honor the work that he's done.”

Held at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, the celebration drew close to 450 attendees. The program began at 8 a.m. and had various performances, speeches, songs, scripture readings and more.

Immediate past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Rhode Island, Jim Vincent also attended the event and shared some words that ring true, now more than ever.

“The thing to remember is that we are more alike than we are different,” Vincent said. “And it is important to continue to work together.”

The keynote speaker for the breakfast was Michael Browner Jr., who is the first Black male principal of a middle school in Newport, according to Smalls.

“We [try] to lift up the voices of men and women who excel in their field and who are trailblazers,” Smalls said. To be able to position the young people who are pursuing their educational pursuits to let them know that you may have adversity and you may be the only one but keep pressing forward and work really hard to achieve your goals.”

The Rev. George Farley Sr., the founder and senior pastor of Unity Church Ministry in Cranston and president of the Minsters Alliance, gave his statement of purpose, and both McKee and Matos gave remarks. A spiritual dance by the Passionate Choreo Dance Ministry captured the audience’s attention.

According to the organization’s website, the Ministers Alliance of Rhode Island was formed in 1982 to bring together clergy representing the Black, Brown and Indigenous people of communities of faith in the state.

Celebrating its 41^st anniversary of the annual scholarship breakfast, this year’s theme is “Knowledge is power,” pulling from the Bible verse Hosea 4:6.

“Highlighting the importance of education in our society,” Farley said in his letter from the president. “We believe that knowledge is power and can help to diminish some of the inequalities in our community and state.”

As for the scholarships, Smalls said they open in November for about six weeks. To apply, students can visit the website at ministersallianceri.org.

This year, the organization gave out seven awards. Each student will receive a combination of $7,000 in academic awards to be split between them and their school, according to Smalls.

Recipients of the 2025 awards are as follows: Aaliyah Turner, Alice Neil, Georgerinna Farley, Sean Duke, Diella Collins, Marietta Moore and Blythe Armstrong.