Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in Brooklyn

NEW YORK - The Brooklyn Academy of Music honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. BAM's 34th annual tribute to the slain civil rights leader is New York largest celebration of King's life and vision.

The keynote speaker was New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones who spearheaded the 1619 Project, which examined the 400th anniversary of American slavery. She spoke about a part of King's "I Have a Dream" speech that most of us don't remember.

"He said, 'When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note,'" Hannah-Jones said. "And that note was not just written to white Americans but it was written to black Americans as well."

Every year, this event is free and open to the public. From school children to the elderly, more than 2,000 people that still believe in the dream packed the room.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music's venues are in the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill areas of Brooklyn.