MLK Day Celebrations

Today, residents of the five boroughs will have the opportunity to reflect upon the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at several events being hosted in the five boroughs.

At 1:30 p.m., the in Forest Hills will host “Martin Luther King: His Message for Our Times.”

The event, which is led by social worker Joan Adams, will be a discussion of how the civil rights activist’s message remains relevant today.

“His message extended beyond civil rights to an understanding of the relationship between deeply embedded racism, economic inequality and militarism,” Adams wrote on the Y’s website.

The program is $3 for members and $6 for non-members.

At 4:30 p.m., the Baisley Park Library is hosting a special event during which children will read books celebrating King.

The library is located at 117-11 Sutphin Blvd. in Jamaica.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music will host its 26th annual tribute to the civil rights activist. The event is the city’s largest public celebration of King. City schools chancellor Dennis Walcott will be the keynote speaker and several musical acts will perform. BAM Rose Cinemas will screen the 2011 film “The Black Power Mixtape, 1967- 1975,” a documentary on the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of Swedish journalists, following the tribute.

From 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, located at 145 Brooklyn Ave., will host activist Yolanda Clarke, who will discuss taking part in the Aug. 28, 1963 “March on Washington D.C.” and hearing King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Those interested in taking part in the city’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade should show up at Laurelton Boulevard and Park Avenue in Manhattan at 10:30 a.m.

Marchers will walk to the Martin Luther King Center, located at 615 Riverside, up Fifth Avenue from 86th Street.

Patch would love to hear what MLK Day means to you. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.