MLK Address: "Overcoming"
PDF Link - Dr. Wale Elegbede delivered this speech Monday at the 2026 annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast in Rochester, Minnesota on 1/19/2026
history has taught us this painful truth: when democracy is treated as optional, marginalized communities pay the price first—and the hardest. We have seen it before. And we are seeing it again—right here in Minnesota.
On behalf of the Rochester Branch of the NAACP, I thank you for being here—not just in body, but in spirit, courage, and conviction.
Today, we gather to honor the life and legacy of our beloved Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of our NAACP and civil rights leaders.
Friends, today is also not just a ceremonial remembrance. It is a day of moral reckoning.
Because the truth is this: we are not simply remembering history—we are living it.
Dr. King once warned us that there are moments when silence becomes betrayal. He said in the end, we will remember not just the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends," emphasizing that inaction and silence can be more damaging . Friends, we are living in one of those moments right now.
This year’s theme—“We Shall Overcome: Building Community and Overcoming”—is not aspirational language. It is a reminder that overcoming has never been easy, never been passive, and never been granted. Overcoming has always required courage, sacrifice, and collective action.
The late John Lewis reminded us that “we must call upon the courage of those who were in the struggle long before any of us was born. John Lewis said, the problem we face today as a nation, we must make it plain, we must it clear.
THE MOMENT WE ARE IN
Today, in the moment we are living in, the rights of People of color who are Americans or legal residents are being violated. In the moment we are living in, the constitutional and human rights of immigrants who have committed no crimes are being violated., In the moment we are living in, children are being terrorized, and traumatized by their government. In the moment we are living in, the United States government — just as what occurred in Apartheid South Africa or by the Gestapo, the secret police of Nazi Germany — is racially profiling and targeting individuals solely based on the color of their skin. In the moment we are living in, an innocent woman, Renee Good was killed, and should be alive.
People are being beaten by ICE. Families are being terrorized. Human dignity is being violated. And the systems meant to protect life and liberty are being used instead to instill fear.
Here in Rochester and across Minnesota.
We are witnessing human rights violations in real time, through our very eyes.
Black and Brown community members are being racially profiled.
People are being detained on their way to medical appointments.
Black and immigrant communities are afraid to pump gas.
Families are afraid to send their children to school.
Workers are afraid to go to work.
DEMOCRACY, AUTHORITARIANISM, DICTATORSHIPS
When the President of the United States says things like “we shouldn’t even have an election,” that is not rhetoric. That is a pretext for justification. This is a script that has been used by autocratic leaders and dictators.
And history has taught us this painful truth: when democracy is treated as optional, marginalized communities pay the price first—and the hardest. We have seen it before. And we are seeing it again—right here in Minnesota.
I grew up in West Africa under military dictatorships. I have seen what happens when the rule of law collapses, when constitutions and human rights are ignored, and when fear becomes the governing strategy. Autocracy never arrives all at once—it creeps in, normalized by silence and excused by convenience. It will affect everyone regardless of whether you are White, Asian, Native American, Black or Brown. As Dr. King said, "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now,"
This is why, as John Lewis said, we must speak plainly today.
THE NAACP’S MORAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS STANCE
In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, the National NAACP took a historic action at our National Convention—the first time in our history—to call for the impeachment of a sitting President of the United States. That decision was not made lightly.
The NAACP is a nonpartisan organization, and for more than a century, we have been committed to social justice, equity, equality, and human dignity. Our work has never been about political parties or personalities; it has always been about protecting democracy, advancing social justice and defending constitutional and human rights. We understand that democracy, civil rights, and human dignity cannot be separate—when one is undermined, all are at risk.
This principle is reflected in the NAACP’s longstanding tradition of inviting the sitting President of the United States to address our National Convention, regardless of party affiliation. Over the decades, presidents from across the political spectrum— from Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and others—have stood before NAACP members and our community. This history underscores who we are: a nonpartisan organization that welcomes leaders who respect and believe in democracy and the constitution.
But sadly today, we have an administration that is attacking democracy and civil rights, that relishes on inflicting pain on its citizens. We have an administration that has intentionally inflicted harm on our community. We have an administration that has converted bigoted and racist statements into policy.
And so today, consistent with the National NAACP’s position, the Rochester Branch of the NAACP reaffirms National NAACP’s call for the impeachment of the President of the United States.
We are deeply concerned about:
The lack of respect for the rule of law and the constitution
About the cruelty and racial profiling we are witnessing through ICE actions in Rochester and Minnesota.
About the terror being inflicted on Black and Brown communities.
About the trauma inflicted on Minnesota’s disability community.
About the death, pain, physical, and emotion hurt that has been targeted on Minnesota’s community regardless of whether they are Black, Brown, White, Asian, or Native America.
We are One Minnesota, and collectively, our state and its citizen and residents have been hurt.
These are not democrat or republication or independent concerns. These are moral and ethical concerns. These are social justice and human rights concerns.
THE LESSON OF DR. KING “APATHY” AND DR. ELEGBEDE’S “ IT’S EVERYONES BUSINESS”
Dr. King understood that oppression does not only survive through violence—it also survives through apathy.
He warned us that the greatest tragedy does not only involve the actions of bad people, it also includes the silence of good people.
We must fight the apathy within ourselves. We must fight the silence within ourselves. And as I’ve said in the past and I repeat today, we must go from “not my business” to “its everyone’s business”.
THE PATH FORWARD – COMMUNITY, RESILIENCE, LOVE
We cannot do it alone. It will take community to overcome.
Community will allow us to stand up when fear tells us to sit down.
Community will allow us to speak up when silence feels safer.
Community will transform our grief into purpose and our pain into power.
In Rochester, we have seen what happens when hate tries to take root. And we have seen what happens when community responds together.
In Rochester, Our Rochester Branch unapologetically declared:
Not in our town will racism be tolerated.
Not in our town will our children be unsafe.
Not in our town will hatred find a home
And we declared something even stronger: In our town, love wins.
CALL TO ACTION
So what does “love wins” and what does “We Shall Overcome” demand of us today?
· It demands more than outrage.
· It demands participation.
· It demands that we invest in the future we say we want to see.
· It demands we Humanize those who are being dehumanized
· It demands we Refuse silence in the face of injustice
· It demands we Reject fear and see the humanity of our neighbor and community members
· It demands we Practice nonviolence with moral clarity
· And It demands that we vote for social justice.
The Rochester Branch of the NAACP is not waiting for permission to act—we are already doing the work.
We are investing in education, because Dr. King taught us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere—and ignorance is one of injustice’s greatest allies.
That is why the Rochester Branch of the NAACP has just launched the endowed college scholarship, the G. Richard and Patricia M. Geier Endowed Scholarship, honoring the legacy of Karen Geier. These scholarships support students who are preparing to become educators in Rochester.
We are also offering a general Rochester NAACP scholarship, available to high school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate students—because access to education should never depend on zip code, race, or income.
We are building Rochester’s community through culture, truth-telling, and celebration, because culture is not a distraction from justice—it is a pathway to it.
This Black History Month, we are kicking things off with a free, community-wide event featuring Lee Hawkins—a Pulitzer Prize finalist, former Wall Street Journal reporter, and this year’s National NAACP Image Awards nominee. Lee’s book “I Am Nobody's Slave: How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free” tells the story of his family's pursuit of the American Dream, the impacts of racism and racial violence they experience. His book examines how trauma from enslavement and Jim Crow challenged thriving in America, and how his family succeeded despite these challenges.
And that is just the beginning.
Throughout Black History Month, we will host powerful, intentional programming—from homeownership to economic empowerment, to youth-centered events like Ebony Night and the Black Excellence Expo—because overcoming is not just about surviving hardship, it is about creating pathways for opportunity and dignity.
We will also be accelerating voter awareness and raising voter consciousness.
So my call to action today is simple—but it is not easy:
Engage with the Rochester Branch of the NAACP
Support us with your donation, your time, and talent to accelerate our strategies.
Support other local organizations doing good work in our communities.
Become a member of the Rochester NAACP because membership is critical to our organization.
And most importantly—refuse to be silence in the face of injustice — and do it through a non-violent direct action approach , an approach we’ve leveraged for over a century, an approach that builds a larger coalition of good people, doing good work together, for the benefit of all.
CLOSING
So, In closing my friends, history is watching us.
Willam Cowper in 1788 shared a poem. He said:
"I own I am shocked at the purchase of slaves,
And fear those who buy them and sell them are knaves;
What I hear of their hardships, their tortures, and groans
Is almost enough to draw pity from stones.
I pity them greatly, but I must be mum,
For how could we do without sugar and rum?”
My friends, future generations will ask:
· Who was mum or stood up when fear was weaponized?
· Who was mum or spoke out when citizens and people where racially profiled simply because of the color of their skin?
· Who chose courage over comfort?
Let it be said that in Rochester, Minnesota, we did not look away.
That we built community.
That we spoke the truth.
That we defended dignity.
And that together—we overcame.
Thank you Rochester. Stay strong. Stay safe. Stay together. And let’s keep moving forward.
Walé Elegbede, EdD, MBA, PMP
President of the Rochester Branch of the NAACP
