3 Ways to Celebrate Martin Luther King Day in Brooklyn

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On the third Monday of January each year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Day to commemorate his peaceful activism in the civil rights movement. His message is ingrained in the spirit of America. Beyond the U.S., his message resonates throughout the world. In fact, the Japanese city of Hiroshima as well as our Northern neighbors in Toronto celebrate King’s message of human rights. While the world observes the holiday, here are some ways to in your own community:

Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2015
Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave., at Ashland Pl., Fort Greene; 718-636-4198
1/19 at 10:30 a.m.

Dr. Cornel West is the keynote speaker for this annual packed day of free events, presented by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. Also on the docket: musical performances by Sandra St. Victor & Oya’s Daughter; a signing by West of The Radical King, his new collection of Dr. King’s writings, and Black Prophetic Fire, a collection of dialogues on black leaders.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Birthday Bash
Brooklyn Children’s Museum  145 Brooklyn Ave., at St. Mark’s Ave., Crown Heights; 718-735-4400
1/17/15 – 1/19/15
Kids learn and get in on the action with events all weekend including “Let’s Join Hands,” where they explore big ideas like diversity, screenings of the animated film Our Friend, Martin, and a performance of the Berean Community Drumline on Monday.

Selma
Movie theaters throughout Brooklyn
This much-buzzed about Oscar-nominated drama focuses on the fight for suffrage in 1965 in Alabama. Despite violent opposition, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers pressed forward on an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, and their efforts culminated in President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.