Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy celebrated at Hempstead's annual parade and ceremony

Long Island officials and the Hempstead community celebrated the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy Saturday at the village's annual parade and ceremony honoring the civil rights icon.

The event, a collaboration between the Village of Hempstead and Hofstra University, included students from the Academy Charter School and Aviation High School in Long Island City, as well as youth enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or ROTC. This was the third year Hofstra has collaborated with the village for the annual event, which has been running for 32 years, according to organizers.

Dozens of high school students, elected officials and community leaders marched in the procession, which began at Village Hall and ended at the university’s Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center. There, speakers read Bible Scripture and highlighted King’s message to a group of more than 200 people.

“When we look at where we need to go, it’s important that we understand that we still have to move the dream forward,” said keynote speaker LaQuetta Solomon, a psychotherapist and social work professor at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue.

King solidified himself as a pillar of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and delivered his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech during the March on Washington in 1963. He centered his work on advancing civil rights for Black people, addressing economic inequalities, segregation and other injustices. King spoke in Lakeview against neighborhood segregation in 1965 and last visited Long Island in 1968, Newsday reported. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1968.

Susan Poser, president of Hofstra University and grand marshal of the march, said progress has been made since King's death, but “the work is not done.”

“It’s not done when we look at economic and job opportunity, and when we look at educational opportunity,” Poser said.

King’s words were woven through the speeches and prayers during the program. Hempstead High School students, the Hempstead-based Youth and Teens Dance Company and the Academy Marching Panthers were among those who performed at the ceremony.

Hempstead Mayor Waylyn Hobbs said the event was particularly important for Hempstead’s younger generation. Part of the program included a community discussion to tie King’s message to present-day issues.

Hobbs said the gathering was also a way to stress the sacrifices King made in the quest for civil rights and how that effort still has lasting impact.

“It’s a way for the younger generation to understand their history as a people and the struggle that we went through so that they can keep the dream alive,” Hobbs said. “To fight for those who are less fortunate and make sure that we do the right thing by all people.”

Tanya Baron, 45, of Uniondale, brought her daughters to the event. She said acknowledging the past was integral "to keep us strong, keep us motivated, keep us moving forward."

Juanita Hargwood, Hempstead Village’s community event coordinator, said the event’s theme, "Moving Forward: The Dream Realized," highlighted the nature of King’s message — and that its final form hasn’t yet been reached.

“We’ve come a little way, but we have a long way to go,” she said. “I believe that we’re able to access some of the dream, but the dream is definitely not realized.”

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ