By Vinette K. Pryce
An elbow-bumping, sociallydistanced
live tribute from Harlem’s
House of Justice and a virtual,
abbreviated presentation by
the Brooklyn Academy of Music
proved to be the hallmark holiday
celebration of the life and legacy
of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr.
Uptown, National Action Network’s
founder Rev. Al Sharpton
greeted scores of elected officials,
retired politicians, civic leaders,
activists and an avalanche of
ambitious mayoral candidates.
Throughout the daylong event
everyone wore facial coverings
in compliance with CDC regulations.
Sharpton removed his
black mask each time he introduced
the long list of distinguished
speakers. On the busy
national holiday, speakers hurriedly
exited after delivering
poignant messages.
As if handed a baton, a virtual
relay of political campaigning
and ceremonial platitudes of
unity and justice dominated the
live gathering in order to comply
with COVID-19 restriction.
Loudspeakers provided amplified
access to many denied entry for
the same reason. The limited live,
tribute was reportedly seen by
more than 6,000 viewers who
watched from the NAN portal.
Although Dr. King’s legacy
proved to be the hallmark of the
holiday event many managed to
state their case for electability.
Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough
president professed his
qualifications as a progressive
candidate and elaborated on why
he should be elected the next
mayor of New York City.
“I am not new to this, I am
true to this,” he said.
After detailing how 42 years
ago he was among a chosen
few, Rev. Herbert Daughtry, —
a former pastor at the House
of the Lord Pentecostal Church
— encouraged to join the police
department. Adams listened to
the urging, serving for 22 years
and rising to the rank of captain.
The official number one advocate
for Kings County might
have won kudos for enlightening
audiences about how he washed
dishes in order to supplement his
mother’s rent.
Caribbean L 14 ife, JANUARY 22-28, 2021
His effort won cheers.
Adams’ exit message focused
on passing the torch in tradition
with Nat Turner who he
said handed the torch to Marcus
Garvey, Jr., who passed it to Rosa
Parks who gave it to Jesse Jackson
who he said placed it in the
hand of Barack Obama who gave
it to Kamala Harris.
Other potential mayoral candidates
that attended included
Comptroller Scott Stringer,
former presidential hopeful,
Andrew Yang, former brigadier
general in the US Army, Loree
Sutton, Vice Chair at Citigroup,
Ray McGuire, MSNBC legal
analyst Maya Wiley, along with
Queens district attorney, Melinda
Katz, Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez
and others.
In Brooklyn the annual theme
of “Let Freedom Ring” resonated
with familiarity from individuals
who consistently support the
35-year tradition.
Reportedly successfully in
amassing four times the usual
standing room only 2,000 capacity
online viewers exceeded the
already acclaimed status of BAM
Rev. Al Sharpton is framed by a portrait of Martin Luther
King Jr. as he speaks to reporters about the legacy of former
New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Tuesday, Nov. 24,
2020, during a news conference at the National Action Network
headquarters in New York. Associated Press /Mary Altaffer,
being the host of the largest public
celebration for Dr. King when
they logged onto the virtual presentation.
Condensed from three hours
to one, the music and speech
event harnessed “drum majors
for justice” akin to advocates for
justice Dr. King said he hoped to
be remembered being.
There was no limit to sentiments
extolling the contributions
and impact of Cong. John
Lewis, Cong. Elijah Cummings,
the Black Lives Matter Movement
and Dr. King.
After welcoming greetings
from BP Adams, rapid-fire, pre-recorded
statements followed from
Laurie Cuumbo, Majority Leader
in City Council, Attorney General,
Letitia James, Sens. Charles
Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand,
Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council
Speaker, Corey Johnson, Comptroller
Scott Stringer, Public
Advocate, Jumaane D. Williams
and Cong. Hakeem Jeffries,
File
Uptown, downtown drum majors
echo Dr. MLK’s call for justice
New York City is
coming back strong with
COVID-19 vaccines.
NYC VACCINE FOR ALL:
SAFE, FREE, EASY
nyc.gov/covidvaccine Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Dave A. Chokshi, MD MSc
Commissioner
/covidvaccine
