The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted its 38th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, bringing together hundreds of people from the city and beyond into the Howard Gilman Opera House to celebrate Dr. King and his legacy.
The three-hour celebration was moderated by BAM President Gina Duncan. This year's tribute included special performances from Sing Harlem, singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin, addresses from civic leaders and a keynote speech from Freedom Reads founder, Reginald Dwayne Betts.
“We really try to curate an experience that speaks to the time,” Coco Killingsworth, BAM's chief civic engagement officer told BK Reader. “Dr. King’s response was non-violence, but it was deeper than that. It’s really about deepening the understanding of our humanity, of Black people’s humanity and that we are all human. We are all connected."
The spirit of Dr. King was embraced by the audience throughout the day. Sing Harlem boldly sang songs of victory and praise while audience members joined to sing the lyrics to old hymnals like “The Storm is Passing Over” and “Go Down Moses.”
There were cheers and applause for community and political leaders who spoke, including Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Eric Adams and Senator Charles Schumer, who gave powerful speeches igniting the crowd to keep the fight for justice and equity alive.
The electeds reminded the crowd that although MLK Day was to be commemorated, it was not a day off from fighting against injustice, but a day to work towards a better tomorrow.
Each speech empowered audience members to engage in their communities, speak out against injustice and use their right to vote to rally behind leaders who seek to make economic change, especially in housing for students and working-class families.
"Let all of our voices, our collective voices be heard as we march into the polling sites this November and this September,” encouraged Attorney General James. “All of us must keep the dream alive and all of us must never bow, never cower and never break and never bend in the face of those who seek to divide us…”
In a heartwarming speech, Keynote speaker Reginald Betts brought many listeners to tears. As he recalled his time in prison for a carjacking as an adolescent, the now-lawyer and poet expressed how mercy is the wish of many Black and Brown people who are incarcerated.
Using Dr. King’s "Letters From a Birmingham Jail" as a framework, Betts encouraged listeners to take a look at what second chances can give a person. Even though a person may be undeserving of it, they can “reclaim their lives and do something better with it,” he said.
BAM also hosted a kid-friendly tribute in their Peter Jay Sharp Building featuring local poets, a community song and interactive workshops for children ages six years and up.
