Hundreds of students, teachers, administrators and community members braved sub-zero degree weather on Sunday morning, Jan. 14, at Edgewood High School to attend the 40th annual MLK Outstanding Youth Recognition Breakfast, hosted by Urban League of Greater Madison, to honor outstanding students from throughout the Madison area.
“Thank you for supporting the achievement of the students, not just here at Madison but in the greater Madison area. This is one of my favorite events all year,” said Urban League of Greater Madison CEO Dr. Ruben Anthony. “It’s just been wonderful to be back here at Edgewood … being back here really feels good.”
The MLK breakfast — scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, and bagels — was catered by Kipp’s Cuisine Catering. This is the first time the event has been back live and in-person at Edgewood since the COVID pandemic started.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
“We’re proud to have been able to continue to recognize our young people, even though COVID disruption, and that we didn’t stop this event,” Anthony said. “There’s definitely nothing like being in person with so many inspiring young people and amazing community supporters. It’s nice to come here to a full room.”
Every year at this annual event, Outstanding Young Persons Awards are presented to middle and high school students of color who exemplify a commitment to academics, extra-curricular activities, and volunteerism.
“This morning, we will honor nearly 300 students from 45 different middle schools across Dane County,” Anthony says, “and we will also recognize MMSD Mann Scholars and close the presentation with some post-secondary scholarships, including the 2024 Betty Franklin Hammonds Fellowship Awards.”
Anthony thanked Edgewood High School which has hosted the event since 1994. “They have helped us make sure that this event is affordable and accessible,” Anthony says.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
“Student awardees and for those who receive the different recognition today, I want to thank you for your hard work, not just for this year, but throughout the years,” he added. “It takes a whole lot to prepare yourselves to get recognition for your achievements. I’m here today to tell you that the sky’s the limit and that now’s the time to begin to plan for your future. All the great things that you’ve done up to this point, you will continue to do and if you are willing to dream big about your future, study hard and show up every day, you will continue to have success and continue to achieve. This is just the start.”
(Photo by David Dahmer)
Shiva Bidar, the vice president/chief diversity officer for UW Health gave remarks at the event.
“I want to thank the Urban League of Greater Madison for always bringing us together on what are usually very cold mornings … but they are mornings that really brings warmth into this space and into this room as we celebrate the amazing accomplishments of our young people,” Bidar said. “We don’t have enough opportunities, in my opinion, to celebrate the accomplishments of all our young people so this is always a highlight of mine. On behalf of UW Health, we would like to thank the Urban League of Greater Madison and congratulate our scholars today for all your accomplishments.”
Outstanding Young Person Awards were presented not only to middle schoolers and high schoolers in the area, but also to Mann Scholars who were honored at the Breakfast. The Mann Program provides mentoring and educational tools primarily, but not exclusively, to students of color from the MMSD who face challenges in reaching their full potential. Maia Person, the Mann Scholars program coordinator and a member of the MMSD school board, presented the 2023 and 2024 MMSD Mann Scholars.
The MLK Outstanding Youth Recognition Breakfast also honored, as it does in every year, winners of the Betty Franklin-Hammonds Memorial Scholarship which rewards the accomplishments of graduating seniors seeking to further their education beyond high school with special attention given to those who have faced particular economic and/or social obstacles on their journey to educational advancement.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
Nichelle Nichols, the current president of the Madison Metropolitan School Board, gave congratulatory remarks at the MLK Youth Recognition Breakfast.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
“One of the things that really drives and inspires me is making sure that I’m using my voice and my lived experience at the table to make sure that every student that we are serving can discover their potential, can chart a path to their dreams, and that they’re treated with respect and grace and understanding,” Nichols said. “And oftentimes when we talk about the disparity gaps and the opportunity gaps, I believe we begin to have a negative or deficit narrative about our young people.
“And then an event like this today is counter-narrative. It is a bold reminder of how amazing our young people are and how many other students are doing amazing things that weren’t acknowledged or won’t be recognized today and we need to hold them all with our love,” Nichols continued. “This is also one of my favorite events and today’s acknowledgement of the students is part of the legacy and the dream. We need our students to remember that through all of the challenges ahead, that they are dream keepers, they are dream makers and dream shakers.”
