Complete Guide to Martin Luther King Day Events: Brooklyn Calendar

1. For Kids: 10 Special Ways to Celebrate MLK Day & Obama Inauguration in 2013

Here are ten ways to mark MLK Day this year, from First Lady parties for little girls to scorekeeping while listening to the President's Inaugural address. (How many times will he say "Michelle, "taxes," or... "Brooklyn?

2. All Weekend: Martin Luther King Weekend Events at Brooklyn Children's Museum

Bring the kids! The Brooklyn Children's Museum has a fun, educational three-day weekend long program featuring programming that communicates the values of Martin Luther King Day in an age-appropriate, family friendly way.
Where: Brooklyn Children's Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, located next to Brower Park, just one mile from Grand Army Plaza
When: Saturday, Jan. 19 and Sunday, Jan 20, 2013
Admission: Admission is $9 per person, and free for Museum members and children under 1 year of age.
Website: Brooklyn Children's Museum www.brooklynkids.org/

3. All Weekend: Brooklyn Museums Exhibit of Black Artist Mickalene Thomas

This show closes on Sunday, January 20th. A visit to see this work is a perfect way to observe MLK weekend. It was described by the museum as follows:

Brooklyn artist Mickalene Thomas is best known for her elaborate, collage-inspired paintings, embellished with rhinestones, enamel, and colorful acrylics. Her depictions of African American women explore a spectrum of black female beauty and sexual identity while constructing images of femininity and power. Origin of the Universe, Thomas’s first solo museum exhibition, highlights recent bodies of work that examine interior and exterior environments in relation to the female figure. Their settings are often inspired by her 1970s childhood.

4. Sun. Jan 20: WNYC Event at Brooklyn Museum (also broadcast on radio)

The annual symposium held at the Brooklyn Museum in conjunction with WNYC is scheduled as follows:
Sunday January 20, 2013 from 3 to 5 p.m.

• Malcolm, Martin and Medgar: A Reunion
• WNYC's Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration

Join WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and journalist Farai Chidaya for an afternoon of discussion and staged readings inspired by A. Peter Bailey’s play, “Malcolm, Martin and Medgar,” an imagined reunion of the slain civil rights icons.

This annual event gets sold out fast; check the WNYC and Brooklyn Museum websites for more info. If you don't get there in person, you still can hear excerpts from the event broadcast on The Brian Lehrer Show on Monday, on MLK Day.

5. Sun. Jan 20: Gospel Choir Churches, Sermons

Of course, Brooklyn is filled with churches, some with gospel choirs. Go with a friend, or if you're unaffiliated, check out the Brooklyn Tabernacle in Downtown Brooklyn, which holds services on Sundays at 9 A.M., noon and 3 P.M. Also, read about the choir at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church at 85 South Oxford in Fort Greene.

6. Mon. Jan 21: Harry Belafonte at NEW YORKS BIGGEST MLK EVENT AT BAM

Don't miss BAM's 27th annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's the largest celebration of Martin Luther King Day in New York City. And, it's free! Starts at 10:30 A.M:

• Keynote speaker: Harry Belafonte whose wide-ranging career spanning singing, songwriting, acting, and producing has made him a iving legend of American culture. Belafonte is also a distinguished humanitarian, political activist, and was an outspoken supporter, and friend, of Dr. King.
• live-streaming of portions of the ceremony for President Barack Obama
• Musical performances by Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir and soul group Kindred The Family Soul
• Remarks by event co-presenters Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Medgar Evers College President Dr. William Pollard, and BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins.
• Weekend celebration also features a community art exhibition, “Picture the Dream”, and a music performance, Black Rock Coalition Orchestra Salutes Richie Havens, in the BAMcafé.

7. Mon. Jan 21: Second Inauguration of First Black President of United States

Tune in and watch the inauguration. Obama's presidency is historic, and so is the fact that he will be sworn in for his second term on Martin Luther King Day. It's a teachable moment, and there may be no better way to celebrate MLK Day 2013 than to watch and discuss Obama's swearing-in. Expect a potent speech.

8. Mon. Jan 21: LIU Free Film about Civil Rights & Downstate Medical Center, Bklyn

LIU Brooklyn commemorates the day with a program that includes

• : A screening of “We Shall Not Be Moved: Downstate ’63,” a short film created by LIU English Professor Deborah Mutnick about the civil rights protests at Brooklyn’s Downstate Medical Center in the summer of 1963.
• Presentations by former members of Brooklyn CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and participants in the civil rights protests: Jitu Weusi, Yvonne Harmon, Rioghan Kirchner and Lawrence Cumberbatch
• An afternoon of service, distributing free books and reading books about the civil rights movement to children at venues in Brooklyn.

Entrance: Free and open to the public.
Where: Health Sciences Building, Room 107, at LIU Brooklyn, located on Flatbush Avenue and DeKalb Avenue.
RSVP: email community@brooklyn.liu.edu or (718) 488-1014.

9. Mon. Jan 21: Brooklyn Botanic Garden is OPEN in Honor of the Day-FREE

Usually closed on Mondays, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is open on January 20, in honor of the Martin Luther King holiday. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

10. Mon. Jan 21: Martin Luther King Day of Service

Martin Luther King Day is a day when all are encouraged to do service in the community.