Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast and Statewide Day of Service
Monday, January 19, 2026 | 7:45 a.m. | Chase Center on the Riverfront, 815 Justison Street, Wilmington, 19801 | $45 per person
Join us for our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast and Day of Service—a morning of reflection, inspiration, and community action honoring the enduring legacy of Dr. King. This year’s keynote speakers are the dynamic father-daughter duo Richard Rothstein and Leah Rothstein, whose groundbreaking work continues Dr. King’s mission of equity and justice.
Copies of The Color of Law and Just Action are available for purchase. Books will be at the venue for pickup and signing by the authors.
Following the breakfast, guests are invited to participate in service projects throughout the community as part of our MLK Day of Service, putting Dr. King’s words into action:
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
Together, the Rothsteins will explore how their literary works connect to the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose fight for racial and economic justice continues to inspire us. Their talk will focus on practical, actionable steps each of us can take to help reverse institutional segregation and build more equitable communities.
Authors of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America and Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law
Richard Rothstein is the acclaimed author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, a seminal work that reveals how federal, state, and local policies intentionally segregated American cities and suburbs.
Leah Rothstein, co-author with her father of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law, brings a practical and community centered perspective to the conversation – offering pathways for individuals and organizations to dismantle the systems of segregation that persist today.
Available Service Projects
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: 222 Lake Drive, Newark, DE 19702
Learn more about the Organization: Food Bank of Delaware
Join the fight against hunger with the Food Bank of Delaware! Volunteers help sort and pack food donations, distribute groceries to families, and support programs that ensure every Delawarean has access to nutritious meals. With two convenient locations — Milford and Newark — there’s a place for everyone to get involved. Your service helps fill more than plates; it fills hearts with hope and gratitude.
Volunteer Details:
- To register, click the following link https://vhub.at/DSBA. Registration will close on Monday, January 12, 2026. Registration through the DSBA website will not be processed.
- Children who wish to participate must be at least 7 years old and accompanied by a parent/guardian.
DSBA Project Leader: Brionna Denby, Esq.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Location: 1040 Mattlind Way, Milford, DE 19963
Learn more about the Organization: Food Bank of Delaware
Join the fight against hunger with the Food Bank of Delaware! Volunteers help sort and pack food donations, distribute groceries to families, and support programs that ensure every Delawarean has access to nutritious meals. With two convenient locations — Milford and Newark — there’s a place for everyone to get involved. Your service helps fill more than plates; it fills hearts with hope and gratitude.
Volunteer Details:
- To register, click the following link https://vhub.at/DSBA. Registration will close on Monday, January 12, 2026. Registration through the DSBA website will not be processed.
- Children who wish to participate must be at least 7 years old and accompanied by a parent/guardian.
DSBA Project Leader: Dorronda Bordley, Esq.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, TBA
Location: 1603 Jessup Street, Suite 3, Wilmington, Delaware 19802
Learn more about the Organization: Friendship House – A Way Home
Support our neighbors experiencing homelessness by volunteering with Friendship House. You’ll help provide food, clothing, and essential services to those in need while building connections that remind people they are seen, valued, and not alone. Together, we can help create a stronger, more compassionate community for everyone.
Volunteer Details:
DSBA Project Leader: Lauren McCrea, Esq.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, TBA
Location: 110 North Poplar Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
Learn more about the Organization: Sunday Breakfast Mission
Bring warmth, hope, and nourishment to those in need at the Sunday Breakfast Mission. This outreach program provides hearty meals and a supportive community for individuals facing hunger and homelessness. Volunteers help serve food, assist guests, and share encouragement with those working to rebuild their lives. Every act of service helps strengthen the spirit of compassion and care that makes this mission thrive.
Volunteer Details:
- Volunteers of all ages welcome.
- Volunteers must be 18 to assist in the kitchen.
DSBA Project Leader: Kendeil Dorvilier, Esq.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, TBA
Location: 1901 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19803
Learn more about the Organization: Home – Ronald McDonald House of Delaware
Bring comfort and care to families with seriously ill children staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Volunteers will help provide meals, organize common areas, and create a warm, welcoming environment for families during a difficult time. Your kindness can make their stay a little brighter — come lend a hand and share some heart.
Volunteer Details:
- No same-day registration.
- Volunteers must be at least 12 years old and minors must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
DSBA Project Leader: Kendeil Dorvilier, Esq.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: Chase Center at the Riverfront
Learn more about the Organization: Home Page – Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD)
Give the gift of life — it only takes a moment to make a lasting impact. Sign up for our Mobile Blood Drive to donate or assist in welcoming donors and keeping the event running smoothly. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are always welcome. Every drop counts, and your participation could help save lives in our community.
Date & Time: January 19, 2026, TBA
Location: 121 North Jackson Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19805
Learn more about the Organization: Ministry of Caring : Emmanuel Dining Room
Join us in nourishing our community by volunteering with Emmanuel Dining Room, where meals are served daily to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or food insecurity. Volunteers help prepare, serve, and share meals while offering kindness and dignity to every guest. Your time and compassion can make a direct impact on someone’s day — and remind them that they’re not forgotten.
Volunteer Details:
- Volunteers must be 16 years old or older.
- Volunteers who are 14 – 15 years old may participate, if accompanied by a parent/guardian.
DSBA Project Leaders: George R. Tsakataras, Esq. and Comm. Danielle S. Blount, Esq.
In addition to the service projects the following trainings will be available.
Wills Clinic for Seniors
Training: January 9, 2026, 12:00–2:00 PM (virtual options will be made available)
Location: Sussex County Courthouse, Georgetown, DE
Clinic Location and Time: TBA
Help empower seniors by providing them with peace of mind and security for the future. Volunteers will assist in organizing and facilitating a Wills Clinic that helps older adults prepare essential legal documents. Whether you have legal experience or simply a passion for helping others, your time can make a lasting difference in someone’s life. Training will be provided — all you need is compassion and a willingness to serve!
DSBA Project Leader: Jacki Chacona, Esq.
Expungement Clinic
In collaboration with the DBSA, ODS, and ACLU of Delaware
Training and Location: TBA
Clinic Location and Time: TBA
Join our mission to offer a second chance to members of our community! Volunteers will support the Expungement Clinic, which helps individuals clear eligible criminal records and remove barriers to employment, housing, and education. Together, we can open doors to new opportunities and brighter futures. This is an incredible way to promote justice and equity right here in Delaware.
DSBA Project Leader: Nicole C. Mozee, Esq.
Book Details
Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law” presents a compelling argument about America’s residential segregation. He dismisses the myth of de facto segregation as the primary cause for this division. Rothstein states that the real reason lies in de jure segregation. Specific laws and policies enforced by local, state, and federal governments institutionalized these discriminatory practices. This assertion challenges long-held beliefs about societal choices leading to segregated neighborhoods. The book explores this historical narrative, starting from the 1920s. As millions of African Americans migrated from the South to Northern cities, explicit racial zoning laws emerged. These laws laid the groundwork for segregation in urban areas across the nation. Rothstein highlights the role of government agencies in fostering this division. He effectively illustrates the systemic techniques used to maintain racial lines in housing.
The Color of Law recounted how government at all levels created segregation. Just Action describes how we can begin to undo it.
Page by page, Just Action offers programs that activists and their supporters can undertake in their own communities to address historical inequities, providing bona fide answers, based on decades of study and experience, in a nation awash with memes and internet theories.
Often forced to respond to social and political outrage, banks, real estate agencies, and developers, among other institutions, have apologized for past actions. But their pledges — some of them real, others thoroughly hollow — to improve cannot compensate for existing damage. Just Action shows how community groups can press firms that imposed segregation to finally take responsibility for reversing the harm, creating victories that might finally challenge residential segregation and help remedy America’s profoundly unconstitutional past.
Questions?
Email us at events@dsba.org or call (302) 658-5279