The National Action Network will hold its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Awards Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on Monday, recognizing former U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and other leaders for their public service and advocacy.

The breakfast, hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, will feature Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King and will be held at Salamander DC Hotel. 

Those being honored this year include Holder; Scott; Sheila Johnson, CEO of the Salamander Collection and a co-founder of BET; Nicole Austin-Hillery, president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; Donna Brazile, a veteran political strategist and former Democratic National Committee chair; and youth leader Eric Carpenter-Grantham. 

Following the breakfast, Sharpton will travel to the National Action Network House of Justice in Harlem to host the organization’s annual King Day Rally. New York City and state elected officials are expected to join Sharpton to address issues related to civil rights and social justice. 

“The United States finds itself in a situation in which not only Dr. King’s legacy but his memory is under threat of being erased,” Sharpton said. “National Action Network will not sit idly by as the rights, the laws, and the accomplishments he and many others fought, bled, and died for get pushed to the wayside. This King Day must serve as an activation — not simply a commemoration — of that legacy and the work still ahead.” 

The events come amid continued debate over federal policies related to civil rights and diversity initiatives. Last month, the Trump administration faced criticism after the National Park Service removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from its list of free admission days for 2026 while adding Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday. 

The National Action Network has opposed actions targeting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, including organizing boycotts and publicly criticizing companies it says retreated from previous commitments after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. 

The King Day Awards Breakfast is one of the organization’s signature events and has previously drawn national political leaders, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who have also addressed the group’s annual convention in New York. 

The breakfast is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Salamander DC, 1330 Maryland Ave. SW.