39th Annual Unity Breakfast Celebrates Community Leaders

By Janell Williams

The 39th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Award Breakfast, hosted by Alpha Onward & Upward Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., celebrated community service and leadership on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. The event, held at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center, drew hundreds of attendees from across the region to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. King.

This year’s honorees included the Huff family, Coach Patrick and Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman.  Each recipient was recognized for their commitment to fostering unity and promoting social justice in the community.

The event featured a keynote address by the Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, who emphasized the importance of unity, leadership and service. Haynes issued a rousing speech, encapsulating audience members with phrases like, “the math ain’t mathing” and “make it make sense.”

“Power is not about you, it is about what you do with it,” Haynes said during his speech. “Scholarship, led with spirit, empowers you to envision what should be and then work woke,” Haynes stated, quoting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Unity Award Breakfast, a long-standing tradition of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, aims to inspire others to continue the work of creating positive change within their communities.

The fraternity, founded in 1906, is the first intercollegiate historically African American fraternity and remains dedicated to community service, academic excellence, and social advocacy.