Massachusetts’ Poet Laureate inspired the crowd at the 26th annual Unity Breakfast. During the event on Monday, awards were presented to a group monitoring immigration enforcement and supporting immigrants rights in Watertown, and a man who has been a big part of keeping the Unity Breakfast going through the Pandemic.
The Unity Award at the 2006 Watertown Unity Breakfast went to the Rapid Response Network, while the Sue Kuder Unsung Hero Award went to Chuck Dickinson.
Poet Laureate
Before the presentation of the awards, Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Regie Gibson, recited several of his pieces related to Dr. King and the struggles of today. One was a letter he wrote to Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Dr. King, we need to be reminded that the best of what you were did not die with you, but resonated within us and resonates within us now, need for it to continue strengthening us to sow seeds of justice in this hardening civic soil. Somehow we need to be reminded that right, temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant, and that human salvation truly does lie in the hands of the creatively maladjusted, and just when we feel like giving in as if the worst in us is poised to always win.”
He concluded the piece: “Dr. King, we have pilgrims here today on these tired and tattered and worn feet made of clay to salve and stitch our wounds and yes, through our thirst, dry throats and blood stained mouths sing our scars, for even in the midst of this present American darkness we continue looking upward and northward, following that drinking gourd made of stars. So yes, today, in spite of everything, we sing, Dr King, like the instruments of freedom and justice and unity. You taught us to believe we are you.”
The convener of the Unity Breakfast, Theo Offei, who recently served in his first meeting as a City Councilor, welcomed a packed room at the Hellenic Cultural Center.
“The fact that this room is full says something important about Watertown, that we are a community willing to show up, not just when it’s convenient, but when it matters. And as a black immigrant myself, there is nowhere I would rather live today, in this moment, than right here,” Offei said. “That is not something I take for granted. It is made possible by the commitment and dedication of the people in this room and by a community that works every day to be welcoming, inclusive and just, a community where people of every race and background feel welcome, valued, and that they too truly belong.”
The invocation was provided by Rev. Sophia Lyons of First Parish of Watertown. She quoted a passage from Dr. King:
“This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class and nation, is in reality, a call for an all embracing and unconditional love for mankind. This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept so readily dismissed as a weak and cowardly force has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man. When I speak of love, I’m not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I’m not speaking of that force which is just emotional bosh. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door. Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day.”
Unity Award
They Unity Award goes to a person or organization that has demonstrated excellence in supporting the Watertown community. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in facilitated conversations centered on the principles of Kingian non-violence.
This year’s award went to the Rapid Response Network, which formed in Watertown in February 2025 after the Trump Administration announced its agenda of mass deportations. It has grown from a small group at the first meeting to more than 200 people. The group follows in Dr. King’s legacy, said Rita Colefella, who presented the award.
“Dr. King’s activism and the broader Civil Rights movement were deeply connected to these injustices through his outspoken support of the Chicano movement in 1966. A telegram to Cesar Chavez King affirmed the solidarity writing ‘our separate struggles are really one, a struggle for freedom, for dignity and for humanity,'” Colafella said. “The dark chapter in U.S. history echoes today as enforcement actions continue to raise serious concerns about due process, the targeting of communities based on ethnicity. Guided by this enduring struggle for freedom, dignity and humanity, this year’s Unity Award recipient embodies Dr. King’s living legacy.”
The Rapid Response Network’s mission is to “support those in Watertown impacted by human rights violations, while building solidarity among advocates and service providers,” Colafella said. The network has distributed Know Your Rights and LUCE hotline information to all Watertown households, conducted outreach to business, faith communities and schools, posted ICE Watch verification trainings, and worked with Project literacy providing families with the tools to prepare for potential separation.
Sue Kuder Award
The Sue Kuder Award is named for the longtime local activist who was very involved in the Unity Breakfast who passed away in 2020. The 2026 honoree, Dickinson, worked with Kuder on the Breakfast, and headed the organizing committee from 2014-2021.
“Chuck is especially proud of continuing this tradition by transitioning to online breakfast through the pandemic and then returning to an in person event last year, and the in-person event is still going strong, as we see today,” said Will Twombly, who introduced the award.
Dickinson was introduced by Bevin Croft, who said Dickinson is part of Watertown Welcomes Immigrants and worked with the Watertown Police to codify policies around working with immigrants. He is a longtime member of the Watertown Citizens’ Refugee Support Group and co-facilitated a community-wide Iftar celebration. Dickinson also taught English to new immigrants. In addition, he has been a congregational leader at First Parish of Watertown, serving as chair of several church committees, he mentored a man who was incarcerated for several years and is now a “thriving community member,” and he organized and led the Watertown contingent in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace in Dorchester.
“Chuck is beloved as a friend in time of need, the first to pick up a child who has fallen, bring a hot meal to someone who is sick or give a disabled friend a ride. Many of you have stories Chuck reaching out with kindness when you’ve been down,” Croft said. “When asked why he has invested so much in serving others, Chuck notes the importance of being in community and working together in the context of Dr. King’s life. He believes in putting words into action while having fun along the way, and reminds us of building trust even when we don’t always agree.”
Dickinson said he was “highly honored” to receive the award named after a person he worked closely with on a variety of activities.
“But to be honest, when I first heard about it, my immediate thought was it’s gonna be five or six other people who are more qualified than I am,” Dickinson said.
He sees the Unity Breakfast as a powerful experience which bring people together “at this time, given the challenges we’re facing in our country, equity, social justice, immigrant rights, we consume news, social media postings, etc.”
“It’s wonderful to be together, to listen to each other, and to look around and hear people listening to us, and then we listen to them. To me, being together like we are today, has always been the essence of Unity Breakfast: a large public gathering of individuals, families, kids, to affirm our values of commitment to justice, our solidarity, and, more importantly, our actions for justice and equity,” Dickinson said. “We need this more now more than ever. Others have spoken about this much more eloquently from this podium than I ever could ever but I will lend my voice. We are facing crises that threaten the moral and social fabric of our country. We need to stand together in solidarity to oppose peacefully, bravely, and with compassion.”
Essay Contest
The winners of the Unity Breakfast Student Essay Contest presented their pieces to close out the Breakfast. More than 250 middle and high school students submitted essays this year in response to one of two prompts, said David Bedar, the Watertown Public Schools’ Grade 6-12 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator. Some students chose to focus on their own experiences, reflecting on how Dr King’s principles apply to their lives, while other students chose to reflect on the example of particular individuals or groups who have advocated for equality or justice.
Watertown High School student Liam Rodriguez created a video about the 1990 Capitol Crawl, where advocates for the disabled got on their hands and knees to climb the 83 steps of the U.S. Capitol Building to push for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Middle School winner London Kohler read “A Time for Peace,” where she shared how she felt the first time that she experienced racism as a 10 year old, how she responded, and how it still impacts her today.
The Kingian Nonviolence trainings first came to Watertown in 2016 when students, police and teachers were trained in the teachings of Dr. King. Since then, hundreds of more teachers, students, parents, officers, town counselors, residents, and community leaders have taken the course. Watertown will host a 6-hour introductory course on how to apply Dr. King’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence to personal and societal conflicts will take place over two Sundays, March 8 and 15, 2o26 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Watertown Police Department Community Room. Click here to register.