Reserve Now for the 26th Annual Watertown Unity Breakfast

The 26th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast will be on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026, and tickets are now available. See more details provided by the World in Watertown, below. World in Watertown is thrilled to invite you to the 26th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast on January 19, 2026 from 8:30-11 a.m.

Join us in person at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave, Watertown. Get your ticket at https://watertownunitybreakfast.eventbrite.com

A hot breakfast from Wicked Bagel will be served at 8:30 am followed by music, roundtable conversations, student essays, and the presentation of the Unity Award. Every year, the community in Watertown, Massachusetts, comes together on Martin Luther King Day to honor his life and civil rights legacy by recommitting to foundational principles of racial, social, and economic justice.

Call for Nominations: Unity Award Continues Long Tradition of Honoring Watertown’s Unsung Heroes

Charlie BreitroseA mural created by Watertown High School students for the 20th annual Unity Breakfast. World in Watertown announced it is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Unity Award, presented each year at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Breakfast to recognize individuals or groups making significant contributions to civic life in Watertown. Nominations remain open through Nov. 30, 2025. Residents are encouraged to put forward the names of community members whose efforts embody MLK Jr’;s dream of a just, equitable, and inclusive society, while contributing to the Watertown community.

Nominations Wanted for the 2026 Unity Award

Charlie BreitroseA closeup of the section of the Kingian Nonviolence Mural featuring Martin Luther King. The following announcement was provided by the World in Watertown:

Presented by World in Watertown, the UNITY AWARD is given each year at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity Breakfast to recognize individuals or groups who are making significant contributions to civic life in Watertown. Who in Watertown is putting Dr. King’s vision into action? Nominate them for the Unity Award! Perhaps your hero is an individual, or a group who have worked hard to make our community more welcoming and inclusive, who demonstrate a commitment to the foundational principles of racial, social, and economic justice, and who strive to achieve fair and equal treatment for all who live or work in Watertown?

25th Watertown Unity Breakfast to be Held on MLK Day, Start Pushed Back

UPDATE (Jan. 19, 4 p.m.) Organizers of Watertown’s MLK Unity Breakfast announced that Monday’s event is still on, but the start time is being delayed one hour so people have time to dig out from Sunday’s snowstorm. The breakfast is now at 9:30 a,m. and the program will start at 10 a.m.

The following announcement was provided by the World in Watertown:

World in Watertown is thrilled to invite you to the 25th annual Watertown Unity Breakfast on January 20, 2025 from 8:30-11 a.m.! 

This year will be in-person at the Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown. A hot breakfast from Wicked Bagel will be served at 8:30 a.m. followed by music, roundtable conversations, student essays, and the presentation of the Unity Award.

Watertown Organizations to Celebrate Disability Awareness

Watertown Free Public LibraryThe historic facade of the Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library, World in Watertown and the Commission on Disability:

On Saturday, November 2, World in Watertown, the Watertown Free Public Library, and the Watertown Commission on Disability invite the community to join in celebrating disability awareness. This is a great opportunity to hear from Watertown residents with disabilities, learn about their lives and experiences in Watertown, and meet local disability organizations serving our diverse community. “Celebrating Disability Awareness: Voices & Perspectives” runs from 2:30 PM – 4 PM on Saturday, November 2 in the Library’s Watertown Savings Bank Room on the 1st Floor. Registration is not required.

Unity Breakfast Honors Refugee Support Group, Local Activists During 2024 MLK Day Event

A group that provides support to refugees, a resident who created a group for LGBTQ+ people, and longtime social activists were honored during the 2024 Watertown Unity Breakfast. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Watertown held the annual celebration of the civil rights leader’s work for the 24th time. It is organized by the World in Watertown. As with the past three years, the 2024 version was held virtually with a broadcast on Jan. 15.

World in Watertown Remembers Board Member Susan Klaw

Susan Klaw

By Chuck Dickinson

Former and current members of the World in Watertown Board of Directors were deeply saddened by the passing of their friend and colleague, Susan Klaw. Susan died peacefully at home at age 74 from ALS on December 23, 2023. There will be a memorial service on January 13th at 3 p.m. at the First Parish of Watertown Unitarian Universalist, 35 Church Street, Watertown. Susan was an active and engaged force with World in Watertown, and served on the Board of Directors for many years. She was always an active participant in meetings and many of World in Watertown events and programs (e.g., Unity Breakfast). She provided special leadership for World in Watertown’s sponsorship (with Friends of Project Literacy) of a naturalization ceremony and voter registration, a life-changing event for 200 immigrants from 50 different countries. She also played a key role in the transition of Board leadership from the “old guard” who had founded WiW to a new generation of community leaders in Watertown.