Professor Larry Little to Keynote 2026 MLK Prayer Breakfast
By The Winston-Salem Chronicle
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem Chronicle announced that Professor Larry Little, J.D., retired political science professor from Winston-Salem State University, will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast.
A pillar in the Winston-Salem community, Little’s career has been defined by his lifelong commitment to justice, education and civic engagement. As a founding member of the Winston-Salem chapter of the Black Panther Party and later as a member of the Winston-Salem City Council, Little has spent decades challenging systems of inequity while empowering students and citizens to participate in the democratic process.
More than 60 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared his dream, the nation still wrestles with the meaning of justice, truth and love. The dream has not died — but it does demand more.
It demands more than speeches and holidays.
It demands more than remembrance and rhetoric.
It demands the courage to act, the humility to listen and the faith to build what Dr. King called “the beloved community.”
In 1967, Dr. King asked a piercing question that still echoes today: “Where do we go from here — chaos or community?”
That question is not rhetorical. It is moral. It is local. And it is urgent.
We must answer it — in our policies, in our pulpits, in our classrooms and in our streets.
As the community gathers for the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, The Chronicle invites all to move beyond remembrance into realization — to see the dream not as a relic of the past, but as a roadmap for the present.
This is a moment to recommit to justice, to repair what is broken and to believe that faith still has the power to transform hearts and systems alike.
Because the dream was never meant to be remembered — it was meant to be realized.
And realizing it will demand more of all of us.
The annual MLK Prayer Breakfast — one of the region’s most anticipated community gatherings — honors the legacy of Dr. King through reflection, unity and calls to action. This year’s theme, “The Dream Demands More,” invites attendees to consider how Dr. King’s moral vision continues to shape the ongoing struggle for equity and human rights.
The Chronicle is honored to have Professor Little deliver this year’s keynote address. His life and legacy embody the kind of courage, truth-telling and community-centered leadership that Dr. King represented. His message will undoubtedly challenge us all to reflect on where we stand in the fight for justice today.
The 2026 MLK Prayer Breakfast will take place Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities will are available through The Chronicle’s website and Eventbrite.
