Martin Luther King Jr. Day events across Long Island
Community members get ready to participate in Long Beach's 2020 MLK Commemorative March, which steps off this year at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 16. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this year on Jan. 16, was established as a holiday in 1983 to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader. Organizations across Long Island are offering opportunities for learning and service. Please call or email to confirm events.
SUNDAY
PATCHOGUE
MLK DAY OF SERVICE: JARED BOX PROJECT
Drop in to help write notes of encouragement and assemble boxes of toys to be delivered to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, 2-4 p.m., Patchogue-Medford Library, 54-60 E. Main St., free, pmlib.org, 631-654-4700.
MONDAY
COLD SPRING HARBOR
MLK DAY OF SERVICE
Begin with a reading and conversation with Calvin Alexander Ramsey, author of "Ruth and the Green Book," followed by preparing soup, sandwiches, and cupcakes for Helping Hand Rescue Mission’s Tuesday lunch program, children and adults welcome, 9:30 a.m., Kehillath Shalom Synagogue, 58 Goose Hill Rd., free, email to reserve rabbi@kehillathshalomsynagogue.org, 631-367-4589.
DIX HILLS
CELEBRATION: DAY OF SERVICE
Poetry, music and songs honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., presented by the Mothers Club of Wheatley Heights, Concerned Fathers Association and the Half Hollow Hills Community Library, 2-3:30 p.m., Half Hollow Hills Community Library, Dix Hills Branch, 55 Vanderbilt Pkwy., free, hhhlibrary.org, 631-421-4530.
Jerome City Smith and his group City Sounds performs Jan. 16, 2022, in Elmont. Credit: Jeff Bachner
ELMONT
CELEBRATE: DREAMS DO COME TRUE
Live musical performance by Jerome “City” Smith and the City Sounds Music Ensemble to celebrate the birthday and the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 1 p.m., Elmont Library, 700 Hempstead Tpke., free, first-come, first-served, elmontlibrary.org, 516-354-5280.
HEMPSTEAD
PARADE AND CELEBRATION
Parade steps off at 9 a.m. at Kennedy Memorial Park, 335 Greenwich St., Hempstead, followed by a ceremony at 10 a.m. at Bethlehem of Judea Church, 83 Greenwich St., free, villageofhempstead.org, 516-478-6286.
LONG BEACH
COMMEMORATIVE MARCH
March steps off from Laurelton Boulevard and West Park Avenue and ends at the Martin Luther King Center, 615 Riverside Blvd., 11:30 a.m., free, longbeachny.gov.
FILM: 'MLK/FBI'
Documentary (2020, rated PG, 1:44), based on declassified files from the U.S. government’s surveillance and harassment of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 2-4 p.m., Long Beach Library, 111 W. Park Ave., free, longbeachlibrary.org, 516-432-7201.
MIDDLE ISLAND
DOVES OF PEACE
Listen to the inspiring life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and then create a dove painting to represent the international sign of peace to be displayed on the library's bulletin board, 10:30-11:15 a.m. for children in kindergarten through grade two, and 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. for grades three through six, Longwood Library, 800 Middle Country Rd., free, register at longwoodlibrary.org, 631-924-6400.
DAY OF SERVICE: NO-SEW FLEECE BLANKETS
Help create “no-sew” fleece blankets to be donated to neighbors in need in the community, bring fabric scissors if you have them, 2-4 p.m., Longwood Library, 800 Middle Country Rd., free, register at longwoodlibrary.org, 631-924-6400.
PORT JEFFERSON
COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECT
Drop in to celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Children and adults color a hand cutout to match their unique skin tone to be put together in a heart to show love for the diverse community, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Port Jefferson Library, 100 Thompson St., free, portjefflibrary.org, 631-473-0022.
SETAUKET
PEACE AND UNITY PRAYER SERVICE AND CONCERT
Multifaith prayer service with music by Tova Harris; celebrate differences and promote peace and unity with neighbors; 7 p.m., The Bates House, Frank Melville Park, 1 Bates Rd., free, donations accepted, register at communitygrowthcenter.org/peaceandunity, 631-240-3471.
TUESDAY
HUNTINGTON STATION
CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING
Honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life by completing a community service project while watching his inspiring speech and learning about his life, for children in kindergarten through grade five, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Huntington Library Station Branch, 1335 New York Ave., free, myhpl.org, 631-421-5053.
A scene from "Get on the Bus," starring, from left in front row, Andre Braugher, Hill Harper, Hosea Brown III, DeAundre Bonds, Charles Dutton and Steve White, and from left in back row, Gabriel Casseus, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Ossie Davis, Isaiah Washington, Roger Guenveur Smith, Harry Lenix and Bernie Mac, star as men who board a bus for the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. Credit: Columbia Pictures/Lester Sloan
LOCUST VALLEY
FILM: 'GET ON THE BUS'
Historical drama (1996, rated R, 2:00), starring Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton and Andre Braugher, directed by Spike Lee, about a disparate group of African American men who travel by bus to the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., 6:30 p.m., Locust Valley Library, 170 Buckram Rd., free, limited seating, register at locustvalleylibrary.org, 516-671-1837.
SATURDAY
HEMPSTEAD
MLK: DAY OF EDUCATION AND ACTION
Featuring a panel discussion, workshops and Social Justice Expo, where guests can learn about organizations and ways to get involved, 9 a.m.-noon, Hofstra University, Multipurpose Room, Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus, 1000 Hempstead Tpke., free, includes lunch, must reserve by Jan. 17 at equity@hofstra.edu or jhargwood@villageofhempsteadny.gov.
JAN. 22
FREEPORT
GATES OF EQUALITY: THE STORY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AS TOLD FROM HIS SPEECHES AND WRITINGS
A one-man presentation that chronicles the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., from his early childhood through his involvement in the civil rights movement. This fictional dialogue is interspersed with excerpts from King’s news conferences and speeches and the practice of nonviolent protest, for children ages 5 and older, 2:30-4 p.m., Freeport Memorial Library, 144 W. Merrick Rd., free, register at freeportlibrary.info, 516-379-3274.
Compiled by Newsday Staff
