Council Members Rita Joseph, left, front row, and Crystal Hudson, second from left, front row, among attendees at town hall meeting by Caribbean-American US Representative Yvette D. Clarke in Brooklyn on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Photo by Nelson A. King
As the nation prepares to observe the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK Day) on Monday, Jan. 19, Brooklyn Council Member Crystal Hudson, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, and the Brooklyn Democratic Party have joined elected officials and the community in celebrating the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader.
“We are reminded of the moral clarity and courage that defined Dr. King’s leadership,” Hudson said in a message to constituents on Jan. 14.
“In 1968, just months before his assassination, he offered a charge that still resonates today: ‘We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope’”, she added, stating that “that call continues to ground us in moments of challenge, urging us to lead with love, to remain disciplined in the pursuit of justice, and to refuse indifference in the face of harm and hate.”
Hudson, who represents Council District 35, described how, in the coming days, Brooklyn communities will unite to honor Dr. King through service, reflection, and collective action.
She emphasized that MLK Day is both a commemoration of history and a chance to recommit to the values Dr. King championed and to unfinished work.
“We approach this moment during a period of profound national uncertainty,” the Council Member said. “Yet, here in Brooklyn, we know the power of community.
“Time and again, our neighbors have shown that resilience is built through care for one another, and that progress is made when we move forward together with intention and resolve,” she added. “Dr. King believed that justice demands action and that silence is never neutral.
“On MLK Day, we must raise our voices together for dignity, equality, and freedom,” she continued. “The work is never easy, but always necessary.”
She urged the community to honor Dr. King’s legacy by continuing his struggle and joining community events.
MLK Day events in Brooklyn include: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Celebration, 230 Classon Ave, Jan. 18 at 4 PM; Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave, Jan. 18–19, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Other events: 40th Annual Tribute at Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave, Jan. 19 at 10:30 a.m.; MLK Day Conversation with Council Member Crystal Hudson at Gladys Books & Wine, 306 Malcolm X Blvd, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m.
In recognition of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Day, Gibson said she will join Rev. Dr. Kanyere Eaton, and other faith leaders at Fellowship Covenant Church to host a community interfaith celebration that pays tribute to the legacy of the late civil rights leader, who, through non-violent activism, helped spearhead several groundbreaking changes to federal and state laws in the United States.
With this year’s theme, “Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way,” Gibson, whose father was from Trinidad and Tobago, said she will reflect on how Dr. King’s vision continues to shape the nation, city, and borough.
This event runs Monday, Jan. 19, 10 a.m. – noon, at Fellowship Covenant Church, 720 Castle Hill Ave, Bronx.
The Brooklyn Democratic Party is urging the public to participate in Day of Service events across the weekend in honor of Dr. King.
“MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a ‘Day of Service.’ It is a time for reflection and giving to the community,” Party Chair, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said.
“This year, the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his vision for a country bound by hope and equality could not carry more profound significance,” added the representative for the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn.
“There may be no school, but we take action on this ‘day on, not day off’ to honor Dr. King’s legacy of fighting for justice through civic engagement, volunteering, and service,” she continued.
