26th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Brooklyn Academy of Music; 1/16 at 10:30 a.m.; 30 Lafayette Ave., at Ashland Pl., Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-636-4198
Marty Markowitz and the Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York present a packed day of free events, with a keynote by author Dennis M. Walcott (chancellor of the New York City Department of Education), musical performances, and a screening of The Black Power Mixtape 1967—1975, featuring previously unseen interviews with leaders of the Black Power Movement.
Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration Warren Wolf Quintet
Jazz at Lincoln Center; 1/16 at 7:30 p.m.; 33 W. 60th St., at Columbus Circle; 212-258-9829
Last year, the multi-instrumentalist Warren Wolf’s self-titled debut album was one of the top releases of the year. In this night, he joins Christian Sands on piano, Kriss Funn on Bass, Tim Green on alto saxophone, and Billy Williams on drums in a program honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision.
Harlem Gospel Choir
B.B. King Blues Club & Grill; 1/16 at noon and 7 p.m.; 237 W. 42nd St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-997-4144
The establishment of America’s most well-known gospel choir was inspired by a visit of founder Allen Bailey to a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1986 at the Cotton Club in Harlem. Today, the group is made up of singers and musicians from churches in both Harlem and the New York tri-state area. Here, they play two shows, including a special MLK matinee.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Birthday Bash;
Brooklyn Children’s Museum; 1/14-1/16.; 145 Brooklyn Ave., at St. Mark’s Ave., Crown Heights, Brooklyn; 718-735-4400
Kids learn and get in on the action with events including an art workshop and the Historical Snapshot program, where civil rights activist Yolanda Clarke describes what it was like being present at Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, followed by a discussion and performance by opera singer Lawrence Craig.
Artists Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
Symphony Space; 1/16 at 6:30 p.m.; 2537 Broadway., at 95th St., 212-864-5400
A free program of events including a conversation between dance pioneers Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Liz Lerman, a performance by singer-songwriter and activist Daniel Kahn, and a screening of Nick Parker & Jazmin Jones’s short film The Apollos.
Martin Luther King Day Civil Rights Multimedia Walking Tour
Harlem Heritage Tourism & Cultural Center; 1/16 at 1 p.m.; 104 Malcolm X Blvd., n. W. 116th St.; 212-280-7888
An immersive experience starting with a video presentation of the highlights of Dr. King’s career, followed by a stroll around Harlem with a knowledgeable tour guide, hitting sites associated with his life.
National Day of Service
Various Locations; 1/16; mlkday.gov
Find a way to give back to the community through the government’s MLK-specific service site. New York has opportunities such as donating coats with One Warm Coat, tutoring, and working in a food bank available.
Harlem Walking Tour
1/16 at 1 p.m.; meet at 135th St. at Lenox (Malcolm X) Ave.
Take a historic jaunt through one of the most significant African-American neighborhoods, hitting hot spots like the Apollo Theatre, Billie Holiday performance space Lenox Lounge, prominent activist space Abyssinian Baptist Church, and Blumstein’s department store, where an assassination attempt was made on King’s life in the fifties. No reservation necessary.
Nothing But a Man Screening
Museum of the Moving Image; 1/16 at 3 p.m.; 35th Ave. at 36th St., Long Island City, Queens
A screening of the 1964 film (which, despite being a hit didn’t gain video distribution until 1993), which follows the struggles of a poor young black railworker and his schoolteacher wife in sixties Alabama, as they struggle to provide for their family amid the racism and general poverty of the Jim Crowe era.