MLK Jr. Day Celebrations Throughout Brooklyn

Heather Chin -
Photo courtesy of BAM.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this coming Monday, January 19, and Brooklyn organizations and leaders are honoring what would have been his 86th birthday (today, January 15) with a week-long celebration of speaking events, movie screenings, and other community gatherings.

Thanks go out to Olanike Alabi, 57th Assembly District Leader, for getting the word out about several of these events. Let us know if there’s anything we’re missing by emailing editor@bklyner.com and we’ll add the details to this list!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18

  • When: 10:30am
    Where: First Baptist Church of Crown Heights at 450 Eastern Parkway
    What: “Celebrate the Life & Times of Dr. King,” with keynote speaker Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Pastor Rev. Clarence Norman, Sr.
  • When: 11am
    Where: Abundant Life Center/Hope City Empowerment Center at 650 Washington Avenue
    What: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration” with keynote speaker Rev. Ojeda Hall (Baltimore, MD) and Rev. Assemblymember Karim Camara

MONDAY, JANUARY 19

  • When: All day
    Where: BAMcafé at 30 Lafayette Avenue
    What: Visual art: “Picture the Dream” Exhibition, by NYCHA Atlantic Terminal Community Center students
  • When: 10am
    Where: Emmanuel Baptist Church at 279 Lafayette Avenue
    What: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration” with keynote speaker Dr. Charles E. Booth (Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus, OH) and Rev. Anthony Trufant
  • When: 10:30am (Doors open at 8am); first-come, first-seated
    Where: Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) at 30 Lafayette Avenue
    What: 29th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Dr. Cornel West and music from from New York Fellowship Mass Choir and Sandra St. Victor and Oya’s Daughter. Sponsored by BAM, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Medgar Evers College.
  • When: 11am
    Where: Zion Baptist Church at 523 Washington Avenue
    What: Annual MLK Memorial Celebration with keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Gus Roman (Canaan Baptist Church in Philadelphia) and Rev. Dr. M. M. Peace
  • When: 1pm
    Where: BAMcafé at 30 Lafayette Avenue
    What: Dr. Cornel West book signings of “Black Prophetic Fire” and “The Radical King,” a collection of writings by Dr. King and edited by West.
  • When: 1:30pm
    Where: Prospect Heights High School at 883 Classon Avenue
    What: 30th Annual Celebration of Dr. King’s Birthday by the MLK Jr. Commission, begun by the late Honorable Major Owens
  • When: 1:30pm
    Where: BAM Fisher Hall, Fishman Space at 321 Ashland Place
    What: “State of Emergence” student tribute to MLK Jr. — Participants in BAM Education’s three-month Arts & Justice after-school program present this original interdisciplinary work, the result of a distance-learning exchange with fellow teens in Ferguson, Missouri. Watch this exercise in transforming responses to police brutality and prejudice into a thoughtful, powerful work of music, dance, poetry, and theater.
    How much: Free
  • When: 2 and 3pm
    Where: Lefferts Historic House at 452 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park
    What: Freedom Songs and Stories with Tammy Hall. Hall weaves together diverse tales from around the world to create a rich storytelling experience.
  • When: 4pm
    Where: Saint Mary’s Church at 230 Classon Avenue
    What: Celebration of Dr. King’s life.
    How much: $15
  • When: 5pm (Doors open at 4pm). Free, but tickets are required.
    Where: Brooklyn College’s Walt Whitman Theater at 2900 Bedford Avenue
    What: 11th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert. Sponsored by State Senator Kevin Parker.