2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Breakfast Celebration

Please join The Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP for this annual celebration of Dr. King and Civil Rights.

Monday, January 20, 2025 (snow date: Saturday January 20)

8:30–10:30 am (doors open at 8:00)

This year’s event will feature Somali-American author, public speaker, Abdi Nor Iftin. Abdi Nor Iftin was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. He and his family survived famine, civil war, and the threats of child soldiering. As a teenager, Abdi became a citizen journalist, courageously sharing his life stories through NPR’s Messages from Mogadishu, later featured on the BBC and in an award-winning episode of This American Life.

Abdi’s acclaimed memoir, Call Me American, vividly recounts his extraordinary journey from Somalia, through his years as a refugee in Kenya, and finally to the United States via the Diversity Visa Program. The book has earned prestigious accolades, including Maine’s Lupine Award, and solidified Abdi’s reputation as a captivating storyteller. His work has been featured in major outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

Now based in Yarmouth, Maine, Abdi has contributed to Maine Public Radio as a newscaster and is a regular columnist for both the Portland Press Herald and The Forecaster. Currently, he serves as a communications specialist at Church World Service, where he advocates for the rights of newly arrived immigrants and builds community through his powerful stories of survival and resilience.

After years in the U.S. as a permanent resident, Abdi proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2020 and has exercised his right to vote ever since. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in Political Science in 2022 and has since gained a global following as a popular podcaster within the Somali community.

•Location: Wells Conference Center, University of Maine Orono campus

• Tickets: Tickets for individuals are $25. Eight-seat table reservations for organizations, businesses, for $200. A limited number of seats will be available at the door.

• Scholarships are available. Please contact the Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP through the contact tab on this website to apply.

•Public Officials: The Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP welcomes elected and appointed public officials to the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Breakfast Celebration. If you are a public official, please use the contact tab on the website to send your name, title, and ticket number. Officials who register will be recognized for their public service during the breakfast's welcoming remarks. Because this is a non-partisan event, no public official will be on the program’s speakers list.

•Accessibility: The event will be ASL-interpreted and wheelchair accessible. For more information or to request a disability accommodation, contact the Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP through the same contact tab on this website.

The 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast is supported in part by a grant from the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wells Conference Center, University of Maine, Munson Road, Orono, ME, USA, United States