Week-long Tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Artists, activists, civic leaders, and community members will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s passionate pursuit of justice at the 37th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hosted by Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Monday, January 16 starting at 10:30am at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue. (The program will be shared as a video simulcast at 10:30 am at BAM.org.)
The tribute will feature a keynote address by noted civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill, and music performances by Grammy-nominated singer Allison Russell and Vy Higginsen’s Sing Harlem choir.

BAM also celebrates the social impact of Dr. King with a weekend of community free events, starting Thursday, January 12 – 20.
January 13 & 14, 2023, at 9pm, BAMcafé Live presents bassist Russell Hall and the genre-defying musical trio Harriet Tubman. January 16 at 1 pm, BAM Rose Cinemas features the film “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” about the renowned scholar and LGBTQ activist.
January 12—20, 2023, the exhibition “FREEDOM!,” will be on view with visual artwork by Allison Janae Hamilton, Chinaedu Nwadiba, Dawoud Bey, Leslie Hewitt, Robert Pruitt, and Stacey Robinson + Kamau Grantham. Curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, the exhibition explores Black artistry as a form of visual activism through a digital billboard inspired by the work of playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry and the Civil Rights newspaper Freedom! on view at the BAM signage screen (corner of Flatbush Ave & Lafayette Ave.).

January 16 from 10:30 am – 3pm at the Fishman Space, Hillman Studio (321 Ashland Place), BAMkids Celebrates MLK Day with the Courage Takes Creativity event. Children ages 6 to 11 and their families can drum, dance, craft, color, and even put themselves in moments of Civil Rights history from Dr. King’s lifetime. All events are free. Tribute tickets will be distributed on a first come, first-seated basis starting at 8 am on Monday at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House.