Marching in his memory

Long Beach City Hall hosts first-ever pre-march ceremony to honor Dr. King’s legacy

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Marching in His Memory from Bridget Downes on Vimeo.

City officials and Long Beach residents alike marched along West Park Avenue on Monday to commemorate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Before the annual march — which first started in 1981 — began, the city hosted its first-ever celebration on the sixth floor of City Hall.

“For us at City Hall, remembering the message that Dr. Martin Luther King has set forth is really the answer to every problem that we know of in the world right now,” City Council President Len Torres said. “And we know that those words need to be reminded to everyone.”

The gathering recognized Dr. King’s life and legacy with the theme “Keep the Dream Alive.” Speakers included State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, Assemblywoman Melissa Miller, Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford, members of the City Council and City Manager Jack Schnirman, as well as local clergy and civic leaders.

“I think it’s important for people to know, outside of the city of Long Beach, that we can be a shining example in terms of Nassau County and the entire New York state — that this works,” said Councilwoman Anissa Moore, who worked with Shari James, the city’s director of community development, to bring the ceremony to City Hall. “That when you bring people together, and people are committed to living together, wonderful things can happen. I’m really a part of that, because last year at this time I was actually elected to become the first black woman to ever serve in this city.”

A choir group called the Nehemiah Movement as well as Long Beach Girl Scout Troop 2523 were among those who performed at the ceremony.

“On MLK Day, we honor the life of an inspirational man and his righteous crusade for justice,” Kaminsky said in a statement. “Yet over 50 years after Dr. King shared with America his dream of opportunity for all, we still have a lot of work to do. When my office collected school supplies for area children, we met with social workers, and it was disheartening to learn how many homeless children are in the area. That is why we must continue working to ensure every child has a chance to succeed.”

After the ceremony, transportation was provided from City Hall to the corner of Laurelton Boulevard and West Park Avenue, where the march began at 11:30 a.m.

Those who participated retraced King’s own steps from a visit he made to the city in 1968. They marched to Riverside Boulevard and stopped at the Long Beach Martin Luther King Center.

Jacori Teemer, a junior at Long Beach High School and three-time state wrestling champion who won the national title in the 132-pound class at the 2016 ASICS/Vaughan Cadet Freestyle National Championships, was this year’s grand marshal.

As a member of the Long Beach Marines, the high school’s wrestling team, “Jacori always gives back to the community by helping our young wrestlers in the Gladiators,” coach Miguel Rodriguez said. The Gladiators are members of the city’s wrestling club.

After the march, hundreds of people gathered in the MLK center to listen to speakers, watch dance performances and listen to live music.

Travis Nelson, a senior at Hempstead High School who was the event’s keynote speaker, spoke in hopeful terms about the nation’s ongoing civil rights effort.

“In spite of all the hell that we’ve been through and going through, it seems like we’re in a time when we’ve got to go back to even more prayer with what’s going on in today’s political arena,” MLK Center board Chairman James Hodge said. “The Martin Luther King Center is where everybody is somebody.”