Three decades of celebrations to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will exalt the visionary Civil Rights leader during the annual Brooklyn Academy of Music festivities on Jan. 18. Tributes and musical entertainment plus a keynote address will continue a tradition of keeping the Nobel Peace prize winner’s legacy alive.
A keynote address by Michael Eric Dyson, musical performances by Kimberley Nichole, the Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir and an art exhibition will likely provide a day-long tribute to the slain Civil Rights leader whose birthday will be observed by a national holiday and tributes throughout the nation.
However, in addition to the 1:30 am program slated for the Howard Gilman Opera House, millennials clueless about the significant contribution of a militant revolutionary group that countered Dr. King’s message of non-violence, “Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution” will provide an enlightening insight into the movement that scared America’s establishment to infiltrate and ultimately eliminate the California-based, conscientious youths that fed young, Blacks and the homeless.
At 1 pm a documentary film by Stanley Nelson will present a free screening to introduce groundbreaking document on the history of the Black Panther Party and the ‘political and social aims of the organization during the civil rights era and the Black revolutionary spirit it inspired.” Released last year, it ‘combines archival footage with the voices of party leaders, journalists, criminal justice and government officials,” the film reflects on the ambitions and legacies of the Black Panthers, exposing students to an important and under-explored dimension of U.S. political history.
A post-film question and answer session with director Nelson is also included in the afternoon celebration dedicated to Dr. King.
Presented in collaboration with Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams, and Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York, the largest public celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will again attract a myriad of significant guests.
From Jan. 15 to Jan. 18, “Picture the Dream,” a visual art exhibition will showcase a community art exhibition featuring original Dr. King-inspired work by students from the University Settlement Atlantic Terminal Community Center.
For more information, log onto www.bam.org.
