Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrated on Long Island with parade, music and concern over 'backsliding' on his legacy

Hempstead Village marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, with its annual parade down Hempstead Turnpike to Hofstra University, where King visited in 1965.

But this year, amid the cheerful dancing and musical performances, there was an undertone of concern over how the Trump administration's tactics on deporting immigrants and rollbacks on diversity and inclusion programs might be endangering King's legacy. 

Hofstra President Susan Poser, in a ceremony at the university, said: "We have witnessed what would have been unthinkable a year ago, backsliding and in some cases, outright reversal of laws, policies, norms and cultural commitments that were shaped by Dr. King's legacy.

"Included in this regression was profound disruption across higher education. We are living in a moment when diversity, equity and inclusion, the second phase, one might say, in the fight for civil rights, are frequently misunderstood, politicized and deliberately undermined," she said.

Posner said King's legacy had included labor and economic justice, making civil rights and worker rights inseparable.

"That understanding of justice remains deeply relevant today. King was talking about all laborers, all workers, regardless of race and surely also regardless of immigrant status," Poser said.

Before the ceremony, a parade on the chilly morning included ROTC groups and a marching band from the Academy Charter School. It was one of many celebrations on Long Island and across the country marking the civil rights icon who was born on Jan. 15, 1929.

Former Mayor James Garner said he helped start the parade 33 years ago to unite the community with the Village of Garden City.

"People in Hempstead were saying, 'We can't walk the streets of Garden City,' " Garner said. "I think the importance of this parade is, so our young people know that it's not the color of your skin, it is the content of your character," invoking a famous King quote.

Hempstead Town Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said he supported targeting criminals, but added, "When law enforcement harasses hardworking citizens because of their last name, that is an abuse of power, and we must be willing to speak out against it every single day."

"I am man enough to stand up to the mean girls in Washington, D.C., to let them know we will not tolerate them trying to take us back in history," Hobbs said. "We won't go back."

Hempstead branch NAACP President Barbara Powell said the best way for the younger generations to honor King was to lead by example through action in the community and voting in elections.

"Our elders carried history, lived experience and wisdom. Our young people carry energy, new ideas and the courage to challenge what needs to be changed. We need both," Powell said.

In Long Beach, residents marched through the streets to honor King's legacy, singing songs like "We Shall Overcome" and chanting "This is what democracy looks like" and "Keep the dream alive."

In the crowd of nearly 100 people, children held signs reading "I AM," reminiscent of "I Am a Man," a sign held by demonstrators during the civil rights era.

Ann-Marie McCullough, formerly of Long Beach, said showing unity in the march is needed now more than ever. "We're standing up for peace ... we're standing up for what's right, and we're standing up for all the people who are disenfranchised," she said. 

Long Beach resident Rahmeloh Hodge pushed his 2-year-old son, Kari, in a stroller. He said the march was a way to show his son resilience in the face of a continued fight for justice.

"We've been through a lot, and we still have a fight, and we've been making a lot of steps in the right direction, but I just want to make sure we continue that fight," he said.

Helen Dorado Alessi, executive director of the Long Beach Latino Civic Association, said King’s words "are giving us a great deal of hope right now when so many immigrants are being hunted, kidnapped, detained, and deported."

"Not only his words, but his actions and deeds have given us a new spirit to stand up, speak out, and fight back," she said.

Nearby, Kaithlyn Sanchez, an immigration activist who also works with the association, said King’s life tells her "don’t stand quiet" and to "show up in whatever capacity it is that you can."

"He preaches love, and he preaches equality, and that's what we need," she said.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked the holiday at events in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, where he invoked King's name to announce that the city would resuscitate a housing development with 83 units for people who are getting out of jail, have major medical problems and are in jeopardy of becoming homeless.

The development, on property being leased on a city public hospital campus, had been suspended at the eleventh hour by Mamdani's predecessor Eric Adams due to some local objections.

"It feels fitting, frankly, that we are celebrating this progress on the day set aside to remember a man who dedicated his life to fighting for the downtrodden," Mamdani said.

Newsday's Matthew Chayes contributed to this story.