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GIS News National NAACP Leader Roslyn Brock Highlights Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast Jan. 15

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Roslyn McCallister Brock, the youngest and first female vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, discussed the legacy of Dr. King’s dream for the next generation of Americans at the 17th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast this morning at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The program was broadcast live on Twin Cities Public Television.

The Twin Cities tradition, which kicks off a day of metro wide holiday celebrations, is hosted by the United Negro College Fund and the General Mills Foundation. The event honors Dr. King’s heritage and influence on the civil rights movement, which not only transformed American laws and life, but also inspired worldwide human rights reforms.

Roslyn Brock spoke to the theme of this year’s program “Children of the Dream: Building Community Through Commitment.” She discussed:

· The new realities of race and class in America

· The social and economic implications of the “browning” of America

· Building a collective community spirit of accountability and responsibility as beneficiaries of Dr. King’s dream

· The notion that “service to others is the rent we pay for the space we occupy”

Brock is helping transform the nation’s oldest civil rights organization by reaching out to Americans who are younger than 40, addressing how the NAACP remains relevant in their lives and how it can provide opportunities.

Brock made history in 2001, when she was elected vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors at the age of 35 - the youngest person and the first woman elected to the post. She also serves on the NAACP National Board of Trustees. She has served in other leadership roles with the organization during the past 20 years. Brock is Director of System Fund Development for Bon Secours Health System, Inc., in Marriottsville, Maryland. Prior to that, she worked as a program officer for Health Programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

A committed community advocate who works on behalf of vulnerable populations, Brock has served on the boards of community mental health; family and children's services; senior services and faith based community ministries. She is a member of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, American Public Health Association, American College of Healthcare Executives, National Black MBA Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Inc. She has received numerous healthcare, community service and leadership awards including The Network Journal's "40-Under-Forty Achievement Award," Ebony magazine's "Future Leader Award" and Good Housekeeping's "100 Young Women of Promise" Award.

The MLK Holiday Breakfast also featured Fox 9 News Anchor Robyne Robinson, who served as this year’s host. In addition, the Twin Cities a cappella group 4Given, whose style has been compared to such gospel groups as Take Six and Glad, performed. Led by their mother, Kara Miller, the group of four siblings ranging from 9-13 years old, has performed across the region.

The program will rebroadcast on Twin Cities Public Television on Ch. 17, in the Twin Cities at 7 p.m. this evening.

General Mills has been a committed supporter of the United Negro College Fund for more than 25 years. This is the 17th year that General Mills and UNCF have collaborated on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Breakfast. Previous speakers have included U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Juan Williams, Vernon Jordan, Alex Haley, Cicely Tyson, Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery, Yolanda King, Ambassador Andrew Young, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Cornel West, and Martin Luther King, III.

For more information on the breakfast, visit our Web site at www.mlkbreakfast.org. For background information on Roslyn McCallister Brock, go to http://www.naacp.org/about/leadership/directors/rbrock/

As the nation’s oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF) mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers nearly 450 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship programs, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country.

The General Mills Foundation, celebrating more than 50 years of giving, is a champion for stronger communities. In fiscal 2006, General Mills awarded more than $74 million to communities across the country, representing more than 5 percent of company pretax profits that year. Of the total, the Foundation contributed more than $20 million in grants in the targeted areas of youth nutrition and fitness, education, social services, and arts and culture. In 2005, Business Week named the company one of that nation’s “most generous cash givers” for corporate philanthropy. General Mills is also the recipient of United Way of America’s 2006 Summit Awards in Corporate Community Investment and Employee Community Engagement.