The Sing Harlem choir performs on stage during 38th Annual Brooklyn Tribute To Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on January 15, 2024 in New York City.
Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for (BAM) Brooklyn Academy of Music
The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted its annual tribute to legendary civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, on what would have been his 95th birthday.
Guests were treated to musical performances by singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin and a moving rendition of both the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and “We Shall Overcome” by the legendary Sing Harlem choir under the direction of Amaya Knoelle Higginson.
Several elected officials including Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams spoke during the event.
“Look at where we are now,” Mayor Adams said during his speech. “We have a person of color who is the leader of the Democratic Party in Congress for the first time with Hakeem Jeffries from Brooklyn. The resources are headed by Black and Brown people across our state and city. The leader of the city is a person of color, the DA in Manhattan is a person of color, the DA in the Bronx. This is not a day off because of Dr. King, this is a day on. This is a day where we need to continue and run our minds.”
Keynote speaker and founder of Freedom Reads, Reginald Dwayne Betts, addressed the crowd during the 38th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to King at the Howard Gilman Opera House, alongside Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, whose office partnered with BAM to host the event.
“Dr. King taught us that love is not born of ease, rather it is how we create ease when there is little. It is why we give, especially when we have little to give,” Reynoso told the crowd. “New York has been going through some tough times. Keeping a roof over our heads, putting food on the table, accessing the care that keeps us safe and…
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