BAM hosts the 27th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Come Share the Dream
Free community event to be held Monday, January 21 at 10:30am in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
Featuring keynote address by the incomparable singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist Harry Belafonte
Music performances by The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir and Kindred The Family Soul
Celebration of the trailblazing civil rights leader features streaming of inaugural events for President Obama
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York present New York City’s largest public celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Master of ceremonies: Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Sandra Chapman
Complementary MLK weekend programming includes Black Rock Coalition Orchestra Salutes Richie Havens at BAMcafé Live, featuring Stew
Related art exhibition in the BAMcafé—“Picture the Dream”
Target is the presenting sponsor of BAMfamily and community programs
Brooklyn, NY/December 13, 2012—Continuing a tradition in its 27th year that has evolved into the largest such gathering in New York City, BAM hosts the Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Come Share the Dream on Monday, January 21st at 10:30am in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue). The annual celebration brings together artists and civic leaders to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King, whose personal friend Harry Belafonte will be the keynote speaker this year. In a wide-ranging career spanning singing, songwriting, acting, and producing, Harry Belafonte is not only a living legend of American culture, but also a humanitarian, political activist, and a supporter of Dr. King. Mr. Belafonte will be joined by The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir and soul group Kindred The Family Soul to pay tribute to Dr. King’s enduring legacy in this uplifting, music-filled tribute to one of the great humanitarians of our time.
The program will also include remarks by event co-presenters Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Medgar Evers College President Dr. William Pollard, and BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins. The event’s master of ceremonies is Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Sandra Chapman.
The 57th US Presidential Inauguration takes place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and BAM will live-stream portions of the ceremony for President Barack Obama following remarks and performances in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, enabling audiences to witness and share this historic occasion as part of the day's events at BAM. (Additional seating will be provided, as necessary, in the BAM Rose Cinemas.) The Presidential Inauguration will be held in Washington, DC with the theme of “Faith in America’s Future,” commemorating the United States’ perseverance and unity, marking the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome in 1863.
Related MLK weekend programming includes a community art exhibition, “Picture the Dream”, and music performance of Black Rock Coalition Orchestra Salutes Richie Havens in the BAMcafé.
Target is the presenting sponsor for the 27th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Come Share the Dream. Target’s grant-making program is part of their ongoing efforts to build strong, safe and healthy communities across the country. These efforts include Target’s long history of giving 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million every week. As part of this commitment, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015 to help kids learn, schools teach, and parents and caring adults engage. In addition to the 27th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—Come Share the Dream, Target is sponsoring other Dr. King celebrations across the country.
“In partnership with BAM, Target recognizes and values the power of Dr. King’s commitment to service, equality and community responsibility,” said Laysha Ward, President, Community Relations, Target. “Target honors Dr. King’s legacy and urges our guests and team members alike to be inspired and to serve their communities through our volunteer events throughout the country and every day.”
The event is free and is sponsored by Target and Medgar Evers College. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 8am in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby. For further information, please call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or visit BAM.org.
Media Advisory: To arrange access to Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., please contact David Hsieh at [email protected] or 718.636.4129 x9.
About the speakers Harry Belafonte was born in Harlem in New York City in 1927 and grew up in Jamaica, his mother’s place of birth. The island and all its diverse inspiration became his cultural reservoir.
At the outbreak of World War II, his mother brought him back to Harlem. He tried with difficulty to adapt to his new environment. Unable to finish high school, he enlisted in the US Navy and served for almost two years before returning to New York City where he worked in the garment center and as a janitor's assistant.
A ticket to Home is the Hunter at the American Negro Theater first exposed Belafonte to the world of theater and a life in the performing arts. He joined the Dramatic Workshop of the New School of Social Research under the tutelage of the renowned German director, Erwin Piscator. With classmates such as Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, and Tony Curtis, Belafonte became immersed in the world of theater. Parallel to this pursuit was his interest and love of jazz. He developed a relationship with both the young architects of the art form and the geniuses of modern jazz, and on the occasion of his first professional appearance, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Tommy Potter, and Al Haig as his "back-up band."
Since then, Belafonte has sustained a highly successful career with numerous history-making records: His RCA album Calypso made him the first artist in recording industry to sell over a million LPs. His first Broadway appearance in John Murray Anderson’s Almanac earned him a coveted Tony Award. As the first black producer in television, he won an Emmy for his CBS production of An Evening with Belafonte directed by Norman Jewison. At the start of his film career, Carmen Jones took top critical honors and garnered Oscar nominations.
Belafonte’s contribution in breaking down racial barriers is equally impressive. Belafonte met a young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his historic visit to New York in the early 50s. From that day until the leader's assassination, Belafonte and Dr. King developed a deep and abiding friendship which, for Belafonte, still stands as one of his most precious experiences. Dr. King said of his friend, "Belafonte's global popularity and his commitment to our cause is a key ingredient to the global struggle for freedom and a powerful tactical weapon in the civil rights movement here in America. We are blessed by his courage and moral integrity."
Disturbed by cruel events unfolding in Africa due to war, drought, and famine, Belafonte spearheaded the project that became We Are the World on January 28, 1985 and guided and directed the project known as USA for Africa. Belafonte contributed prominently to ending the oppressive apartheid government of South Africa and for the release of his friend Nelson Mandela after 27-1/2 years of incarceration.
Belafonte was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to the post of cultural advisor for the Peace Corps, which he held for five years. In 1987, Belafonte was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and he received the National Medal of Arts in 1994. Belafonte has continued to devote himself globally to civil and human rights issues, focusing on the US and Africa.
No one works harder for all 2.5 million-plus Brooklynites than Marty Markowitz. Since entering Borough Hall in January 2002, Marty has reinvigorated the office of borough president, serving as chief advocate for Brooklyn’s economic, social, and cultural interests, while initiating efforts to improve Brooklynites’ quality of life.
Born and raised in Crown Heights, Marty graduated from Wingate High School in 1962. He received his B.A. in Political Science after attending night school at Brooklyn College from 1962 to 1970.
Marty was elected to the New York State Senate in 1979, where he served 11 consecutive terms representing Central Brooklyn. In 2001, he became the first borough president elected in the new millennium. He was honored to be re-elected to a third term in 2009. As borough president, in addition to setting an ambitious agenda focused on the core issues of his more than three decades in public service—housing, neighborhood preservation and community development—Marty has enacted programs to boost civic pride, improve health, empower young Brooklynites, and generate resources for the borough’s businesses and residents.
Key initiatives include the Atlantic Yards project and Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn, the revitalization of Coney Island, the re-zoning of Greenpoint-Williamsburg and Downtown Brooklyn, Lighten Up Brooklyn weight-loss campaign, Dine in Brooklyn restaurant week, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Brooklyn Tourism & Visitors Center, Camp Brooklyn’s summer sleep-away camp program for city kids, lowering auto-insurance rates, and cleaning up Newtown Creek, all of which have helped make Brooklyn a better place to live, work and raise a family.
Dr. William Pollard is the President of Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York. Dr. Pollard most recently served as vice president for the Office of Access and the Advancement of Public Black Colleges and Universities for the National Association for State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. In that post Dr. Pollard worked to promote public universities, especially the 1890s land grant institutions which provided for the education and training of African-Americans in the South.
He was president of the University of the District of Columbia, the only public university in Washington, DC and the nation’s only urban land grant university, from 2002 to 2007. Prior to that he was the dean and founder of the Syracuse University College of Human Services and Health Professions, where he was responsible for creating a new entity uniting the College of Nursing, College of Human Development, and the School of Social Work. Prior to that he served as dean and founder of the Grambling State University School of Social Work from 1984-1989. In 1976, Dr. Pollard joined the University of Pittsburgh, where he went on to be named the coordinator of the Community Organization Skills Set at the University.
Dr. Pollard’s many awards and honors include the Social Worker of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers, Central New York Chapter, recognition as co-founder of the Syracuse Onondaga Dialog on Race and the Citizen of the Year Award from Temple Adath Yeshurun. He has published numerous articles and papers in professional journals and lectured extensively on cultural and racial diversity in venues across the country.
Sandra Chapman has nearly three decades of experience as a manager, problem solver and advocate in the public sector with special emphasis on streamlining services between a busy city agency and its residents.
Prior to her appointment as deputy borough president, Chapman served as director of the borough president’s Community Service Center. Long dedicated to serving others, Chapman built a team committed to helping residents struggling to access city services and she continues to supervise the Center. Her far-reaching experience with the Office of the Borough President also included four years as a senior planner, during which time her understanding of land use, real estate, and the disposition of city properties was an indispensable asset to both the office and residents at large. Along with a more pronounced public role in constituent advocacy, Chapman plans to expand the availability and scope of literacy programs throughout Brooklyn.
Chapman migrated with her family to the United States from Guyana in 1977 after graduating from St. Josephs High School. She received a master’s degree with distinction in Public Administration from Long Island University. In 2001, she was the recipient of the Community Service Award from Church Women United in Brooklyn. She was also honored by the Community Newspaper Group with a 2012 Brooklyn Woman of Distinction Award.
About the artists Kindred The Family Soul is an adult contemporary R&B duo from Philadelphia, PA featuring husband and wife Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon. Dantzler was born in Philadelphia and got his start in the music business writing songs for Pebbles and Bell Biv DeVoe. Graydon, from Washington, DC, had a solo deal at the age of 15. The two met and began writing songs and performing together, eventually marrying, starting a family, and raising six children. They have released four albums to date: Surrender to Love, In This Life Together, The Arrival, and Love Has No Recession.
Founded by Frank A. Haye, Jr. in 2010, The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir is an ensemble committed to bringing New York City together through artistic expression. The ensemble aims to encourage all New Yorkers to appreciate, learn, and celebrate the diverse cultures which make the city great. The choir’s home base is the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, an area known for its cultural arts institutions and initiatives.
Related art exhibition in the BAMcafé Jan 18 & 19 (open during BAMcafé Live & Happy Hour), Jan 21 (12:30—6pm)
BAM presents “Picture the Dream”, a community art exhibition featuring works by students from New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Saratoga Village Community Center.
For the fifth year in a row, BAM partners with NYCHA to offer free art workshops to children living in Brooklyn public housing residences. This year, guided by the acclaimed visual/graphic artist and former graffiti writer Cey Adams—whose work with Def Jam and Bad Boy is legendary—students from the Saratoga Village Community Center created original artwork inspired by Dr. King's dream of freedom and equality.
Complementary BAMcafé Live music programming
Fri, Jan 18 & Sat, Jan 19 at 9pm Black Rock Coalition Orchestra Salutes Richie Havens The Black Rock Coalition represents a united front of musically and politically progressive black artists, and this January they salute folk-rock icon/human rights activist Richie Havens. Born in Brooklyn, Havens’ body of work spans over 45 years and includes 21 albums. His legendary opening performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 catapulted his career, and soon he started his own record label and was performing on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Havens has worked with countless artists, including Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel, and he has performed at venues and events around the world, including the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton. BRC Orchestra members, including Stew (The Negro Problem, Passing Strange), V. Jeffrey Smith (The Family Stand), Maritri Garrett, King Julia (Fifth Nation), Kelsey Warren (Pillow Theory), Akie Bermiss (Aabaraki), and many more, will perform a retrospective of Havens’ career.
Credits
Target is the presenting sponsor of BAMfamily and community programs.
Leadership funding for the development of new community initiatives provided by Brooklyn Community Foundation.
Pepsi is the official beverage of BAM. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM.
Your tax dollars make BAM programs possible through funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Finance Committee Chair Domenic M. Recchia Jr., Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council, and Councilwoman Letitia James; and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
BAM would like to thank the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly, Joseph R. Lentol, Delegation Leader; and New York Senate, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Delegation Leader.
General Information
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 6pm.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center (2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St for Harvey Theater) D, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Atlantic Terminal-Barclays Center Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM
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