Local luminaries remember civil-rights leader at annual Fort Greene event
By Nelson A. King
Several Brooklyn’s Caribbean legislators
on Monday joined elective officials
and others in honoring the life and
legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.
“Today, we take a moment to commemorate
humanitarian and civil rights
leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said
Assembly Member Diana C. Richardson,
representative for the 43rd Assembly
District. “Dr. King’s activism and leadership
paved the way in providing basic
rights and liberties for many that we
now often take for granted.
“Dr. King once said that ‘Life’s most
persistent and urgent question is: what
are you doing for others?’” added Richardson,
the daughter of Aruban and St.
Martin immigrants.
“In celebration of Dr. King’s life and
legacy, I encourage you to become more
civically engaged in your community
in any way possible: donate to a homeless
shelter, help your neighbor carry
their groceries, become a mentor, go to
a community board meeting, or start a
tenant or block association,” she continued.
Richardson’s Assembly colleague,
Rodneyse Bichotte, who represents the
Caribbean L 38 ife, Jan. 25–31, 2019
Kings salutes King
Leading a movement: Me Too movement
founder Tarana Burke speaks
during the ceremony. Photo by Caroline
Ourso
42nd Assembly District, described Dr.
King as “iconic” and “progressive.”
“Dr. King exuded great bravery and
leadership when confronting injustices
and inciting non-violent protests
throughout the 1950s and 1960s, as part
of the Civil Rights Movement,” said the
daughter of Haitian immigrants.
Assembly Member Bichotte said
King’s accomplishments were numerous,
“including leading the Montgomery
Bus Boycott, which was led in response
to the famous arrest of Rosa Parks;
directing the Birmingham Campaign,
which took place in one of the most
racially-divided cities in America at the
time; and being instrumental in the
March on Washington, which is one of
the largest political rallies for human
rights in history, with over 250,000 participants.”
“His most transcendent achievement
is his acclaimed and frequently quoted
‘I Have a Dream’ speech, which was
responsible for hotly intensifying the
Civil Rights Movement, giving hope to
many in one of the darkest times in
American history,” she added.
“For so many, Dr. King’s ideas are
studied as fixtures that remedied what
was,” Bichotte continued. “The plight
of African-Americans who were treated
unequally more than 50 years ago was
Dr. King’s prime objective. However, his
words and legacy can still be guiding
lights for the issues of today.
“We’ve come so far, and we thank
courageous heroes like Dr. King for
getting us there,” she said. “However, I
hope that we take this day to not only
reflect but to recommit ourselves to the
lessons we gleaned from him.”
Council Member Jumaane D. Williams,
deputy leader of the City Council
and representative for the 45th Council
District, said Dr. King’s impact on “our
nation and the world is immeasurable,
a man whom I have always counted
among my personal heroes.
“Dr. King was one of the most visionary
leaders, most effective activists, most
inspirational figures, in our history,”
said the son of Grenadian immigrants.
“He committed, and ultimately lost, his
life to the fight for justice and equity, to
creating transformational change, and
inspired so many to take up that fight.”
Williams said many of the injustices
that Dr. King fought against still
exist today, “despite a veil of perceived
equality that many wears for their own
comfort.
“But inequity in this country, and in
New York, remains pervasive,” he said.
“The Civil Rights Movement was not a
moment in history, but is an ongoing
struggle of the oppressed and the ‘other’
in society. On race, on religion, on sexual
orientation and gender identity, the
movement continues.
“Progress and improvement cannot
be allowed to serve as a stand-in for real
equity,” he continued. “The fight continues
and even escalates as we work not
only to move forward but to preserve the
gains made over decades.”
Dr. Mathieu Eugene, the Haitianborn
representative for the 40th Council
District, said: “As we pause to remember
the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
let us continue to live by the principles
of equality and justice that defined Dr.
King throughout his remarkable life.
“While there is much work to be
done in this great nation to uphold Dr.
King’s message of morality and civility,
by working together, it is possible to find
common ground, even in the face of
hate and bigotry,” Eugene said.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric
Adams said the message and mission of
Dr. King “feels as necessary today as it
did more than 50 years ago.
By Julianne Cuba
They’re keeping his dream alive.
Brooklynites packed a Fort Greene
theater to honor the late civil-rights
leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on
his eponymous federal holiday.
The trailblazing activist who fought
to make the country more equitable for
all its residents is often remembered for
his peaceful, courageous acts — but
those are only part of King’s legacy,
according to Mayor Bill DeBlasio, who
noted his efforts constantly forced him
to confront the worst in society in order
to make it better.
“I would argue you see a very different
vision of what Dr. King was about than
the actual one. You see, what I might
call, a sanitized vision,” Hizzoner said
during the Monday ceremony inside
Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard
Gilman Opera House. “Dr. King was not
just about Kumbaya and everyone get
along. Sure, he believed that equality
was how we learned to get along, and
how we had a platform to get along, but
it was not just everyone love each other,
we’re okay, leave the status quo the way
it is. He was quite clear that the entire
status quo was unacceptable.”
Other speakers at the 33rd-annual
tribute to King included the founder of
the Me Too movement against sexual
harassment and assault, Tarana Burke,
the city’s First Lady Chirlane McCray,
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D–Fort Greene),
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and
Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (D–Fort
Greene), who noted that King’s ideology
resonates as strongly in today’s charged
political climate as it did when he started
preaching it more than 50 years ago,
before he was shot and killed while rallying
to support Tennessee sanitation
workers in 1968.
“His teachings are as relevant today,
as they were years ago,” said Cumbo.
“Few have done what he has done to
foster equality in our country.”
Love trumps hate: United States Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks during the
33rd annual tribute for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photo by Caroline Ourso
Caribbean politicians honor legacy of MLK, Jr.