The 39th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hello, and welcome!

Today we stand at a crossroads: a moment in time when the streets that have shaped us and the communities that have sustained us are threatened by forces that feel well beyond our control. The struggles we face are not new. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the people who marched with and before him knew the weight of oppression, the sting of injustice, and the pain of violence. But through it all, they held onto something that is as vital today as it was then: the power of community. 

We recognize that in times of crisis, it is not enough simply to survive. We must also learn to live with each other, to build with each other, and to care for each other. The systems that perpetuate inequality may be vast and entrenched, but they cannot destroy our solidarity. The erosion of our civil rights can only be combatted when we refuse to be divided. We must not allow fear or hardship to fracture the bonds that make us whole. We are a community, and in our unity lies our strength. It is through this collective strength—rooted in empathy, understanding, and mutual support—that we will weather this storm, as we have done before.

As we face the uncertainty of today and tomorrow, let us remind ourselves of what truly matters: love for one another, and a commitment to justice that transcends our differences. It is too easy to lose ourselves in the noise, to become bitter and disillusioned. We must remember those who fought for the very freedoms we hold dear. They understood that freedom is not just the absence of oppression; it is also the presence of unification, compassion, and the courage to stand for what is right, no matter the cost.

Freedom is not abstract, as the art we present may sometimes be. BAM itself is distinct, and has been for over 160 years. We are the place where Brooklyn gathers, and our stages have been the platform for countless artists and activists who have stood up against oppression and injustice. 

We are Brooklyn: diverse, resilient, and relentless in our pursuit of dignity and justice for all. Together, we will prevail. It is our empathy for one another that will guide us, and it is our community that will carry us through. We are bound by something far greater than the challenges we face; we are bound by each other—and that is what makes us unstoppable.

In solidarity,  

Gina Duncan and your community at BAM 

In 1957, 14-year-old Carlotta Walls was the youngest Little Rock Nine member to integrate Central High School. She and eight other Black students faced angry mobs, racist elected officials, and federal intervention by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was forced to send in the 101st Airborne to escort the Nine safely into the building. Little did she realize that day that this was the beginning of a journey that would challenge prevailing attitudes, break down barriers, and forever change the social landscape of America. 

After graduating from Little Rock Central High School in 1960, Carlotta Walls attended Michigan State University and graduated from Colorado State College—now the University of Northern Colorado, which has awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and on whose board of trustees she sits. In addition to receiving the Congressional Gold Medal and the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal, Carlotta Walls LaNier is an inductee in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame, Girl Scouts Women of Distinction, and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She serves as president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation, created to promote equality of opportunity for all, particularly in the field of education. 

Antonio Reynoso is Brooklyn’s 20th Borough President. Born and raised in Los Sures, Williamsburg, Borough President Reynoso is the youngest Borough President elected to a four-year term, the first Latino to hold the office in the borough, and the first Dominican to be elected as a Borough President in NYC. As Borough President, Reynoso made history when he allocated the entirety of his Fiscal Year 2023 capital budget—a total of $45 million—to Brooklyn’s three public hospitals for maternal health improvements. This marked the first time a Borough President has ever allocated an entire fiscal year’s capital funding to one cause, and within one city organization. In Fall 2023, Borough President Reynoso released The Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn, the first borough-specific, large-scale planning effort ever in NYC and a model for planning citywide. 

Borough President Reynoso previously served as Council Member for the 34th Council District, representing portions of Bushwick and Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and Ridgewood in Queens. As a member of the City Council, Borough President Reynoso served as Sanitation Chair. He led to passage the Commercial Waste Zones and Waste Equity bills, and the Right to Know Act. He is a notable advocate for environmental justice, reforming our criminal legal system, and closing the Rikers jail complex.

The Fire Ensemble Inc. is a community-centered production company that creates revolutionary new work rooted in music, ritual, and revelation by gathering through choirs that foster collective liberation. At the center of the company is The Fire Ensemble, an intergenerational pop-up choir community that centers BIPOC and queer folx who rehearse, workshop, and perform in transformative large-scale music theater works and rituals rooted in predominantly Black musical styles including gospel, R&B, and musical theater. Although performances are moments of culmination and expand the circle of sharing, the emphasis of our projects is on the process, and the space of community that is built through gathering. 

Troy Anthony is a Kentucky-born composer, director, and theater-maker based in NYC rigorously practicing Black queer joy. He is the Founding Creative Director of Fire Ensemble Inc., where he focuses on the intersection between music theater, community practice, and social justice. He has presented work at 54 Below, JACK, Joe’s Pub, Prospect Theater Company, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Commissions include 5th Avenue Theater, The Civilians, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater, St. Louis Rep, and The Shed, where he’s completing the final year of a three-year residency. Troy has over 15 years of experience in youth and community development work with organizations such as the Kentucky Center's Governor's School for the Arts, the Vermont Governor's Institute on the Arts, and the Public Theater. He was the first Director of Legacy and Internship Programs at the DreamYard Project in the Bronx, where he focused on the importance of emerging leadership.

Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II has advanced Alvin Ailey’s vision by giving early-career dancers the vital experience of transitioning from training as a student to becoming a professional performer. Ailey II dancers bring their technical mastery and emotional depth to works by the most daring established and emerging choreographers. Just as Ailey envisioned, the company continues to expand the audience for dance through global touring and community-based performances. 

Sylvia Waters, the company’s first artistic director, was personally chosen by Ailey and led the company for 38 seasons. In September 2021, Francesca Harper became artistic director. A former Ailey School student who has choreographed for both AILEY companies, Harper guides Ailey II with her unique perspective, paying homage to Ailey’s legacy while taking the company in bold new directions. Under Harper’s direction, Ailey II is forging a new path for modern dance: one that’s inclusive, experimental, and transformative.