Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Join us to celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through interactive performances, protest marches, community art programs, and volunteer projects!

Each day of the festival features shadow puppet performances produced by Nehprii Amenii, music and protest marching with Brooklyn-based musician Fyütch, community art-making projects, and more.

Celebrate MLK at BCM takes place over 2 days: Sunday, January 14 and Monday, January 15.

Programs

All programs and times are subject to change.

Protest Workshop and March

10:45 am–11:30 am and 3:00 pm–3:45 pm

Use your voice to explore Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy through civil rights songs, chants, and a march led by musician and artist Fyütch. Füytch will start by sharing MLK’s values and convictions, after which visitors will create protest posters to wave proudly as they march through the Museum.

What is Greatness? – Puppet show and workshop

11:30 am–12:25 pm and 2:00 pm–2:55 pm

Make a puppet and see a show! Watch and participate in the interactive puppet performance What Is Greatness, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” and created by Nehprii Amenii in collaboration with performers Emmanuel Elpenord, Andrea Ang, and Fatima Sambo Schoenfelder.

Before the show begins, join us for a shadow puppet-making workshop where you’ll learn how to make puppets using paper and scissors. We encourage visitors to bring the puppets they make to the performance following the workshop and be ready to show them off during the show!

What Does Your View From the Mountaintop Look Like?

10:30 am–12:30 pm and 2:30 pm–4:30 pm (Half-hour sessions repeating every 45 minutes)

Join us in our ColorLab art studio to create a collage that explores the positive impacts you want to see in the world. This project is inspired by the work of artist Romare Bearden and his artwork memorializing Dr. King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”

Volunteer Project

10:15 am–10:45 am, 11:00 am–11:30 am, 11:45 am–12:15 pm, 2:15 pm–2:45 pm, 3:00 pm–3:30 pm, and 3:45 pm–4:15 pm

Join us for a special volunteer project led by non-profit Repair the World. Families will learn about the power of service work and take action to welcome migrants to NYC by packaging diapers and baby hygiene essentials for St. John’s Bread & Life, an organization that works to combat food insecurity in Brooklyn and Queens.

This program is for visitors of BCM only. If you are a lone adult or part of a group wishing to participate in service work on this important day, we recommend looking into volunteer opportunities that can be found through Volunteer New York, Americorps, and New York Cares, among others.

MLK Author Storytime

4:00 pm–4:45 pm

Join Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, authors of the book Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race, for a special MLK Day storytime and art activity! Explore age-appropriate ways to talk about race, racism, and a world without war.