Long Islanders find hope in the words, legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Long Islanders sought comfort and hope in the words and deeds of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as they honored him Monday amid a deadly pandemic and threats of more Capitol violence.

At virtual events this year after decades of in-person gatherings, many speakers referenced the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election. Others spent Monday volunteering to help the hungry in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day being the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service.

The First Baptist Church of Riverhead held a virtual breakfast to honor King, with much of the discussion centered on the current state of the nation and how King's message never gets old.

"Amidst disinformation campaigns and allegations of voter fraud, we have seen blatant attempts to suppress votes, disenfranchise a large portion of the electorate, and overturn the will of the majority," wrote the Rev. Charles A. Coverdale of First Baptist Church of Riverhead in a program for the church's virtual breakfast. "If ever there was a need to reflect on the ideals, heed the teachings, and continue the social justice legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., that time is now."

Program organizer Sheryl Goodine said the church was determined to honor King on the day celebrating his birth despite the coronavirus pandemic.

"COVID-19 may have prevented us from participating in our traditional symbolic march, but we refuse to allow it to stop us from celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Goodine said. "At this time in our nation’s history, remembering the invaluable lessons that Dr. King left behind is more crucial than ever."

The racism and inequality King tried so hard to stamp out still burns on Long Island and across the country, said Tracey Edwards, the Long Island regional director of the NAACP, during the breakfast.

"Like our nation," she said, "we still have much work to do to rid our Island, our Long Island, of direct racism and of indirect, quiet, complacent racism. … Our communities must still call out … the racial injustices that still haunt Long Island in the criminal justice system, the health care system, in our job market, environmentally …"

This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day came three days after what would have been his 92nd birthday. Signed into law in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, it wasn't until 2000 that it was officially celebrated in all 50 states.

King was assassinated by gunman James Earl Ray outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968, one day after his prophetic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address.

At his city's virtual event, Glen Cove Mayor Tim Temke urged participants to keep working toward King's goal of racial equality.

"This country still has a long way to go," Temke said. "Common decent folks cannot lose faith and allow those with a self-serving destructive mindset to crush our democracy. We cannot allow a double standard of treatment when it comes to people of color."

The theme of Glen Cove's program, "His Truth is Marching On," featured young Glen Cove students sharing King’s words and a recitation of the names of Black Americans who were killed during violent confrontations with law enforcement.

During the Riverhead virtual breakfast, Edwards called 2020 "a taxing year," citing not only the pandemic but "racial unrest" and "economic suffering."

Edwards spoke of King's heralded "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and talked about how African American veterans returning from service in World War II had been denied access to home purchases in new communities like Levittown

In 2021, she said, don't lose sight of King's legacy.

"This year we must focus on the dream and the struggle." Edwards said.

In Oceanside, volunteers responded to King's message to help and serve others by delivering bags stuffed with a $75 Stop & Shop gift cards, snacks and practical items such as sponges and hand sanitizers, to those who are hungry, and or, isolated, said Gloria Lebeaux, with the Barry and Florence Friedberg Jewish Community Center in Oceanside.

Volunteer Mary Greenfield, of Baldwin, said honoring King's birthday is meant to "really remember all the work that we have to do in this country. … And also, what’s been done by all those wonderful pioneers before us."

In Ronkonoma, hungry families came to the Association for Mental Health and Awareness to collect donated items from an organization food drive in honor of the slain civil rights leader.

"We are hosting a food drive today, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Day of Service," said Ruth McDade, the association's director of development. " … We are seeing the same families and new families every single week. They’ve lost their jobs. They are having trouble putting food on the table."