The Office of Queens Borough President Donovan J. Richards Jr, in partnership with the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at CUNY Queens College, on Jan. 18, hosted yet another powerful Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Day commemoration that reverberated with music, speeches and memorable quotes by the civil rights icon.
Donovan, recently re-elected to lead the most diverse borough called Dr. King a giant and thanked the institution for honoring his legacy every day by helping the diverse student body fulfill their dreams and reach their highest potential.
“Students of all races, religions, ethnicities sexual orientations, and gender identities gather here each day for the noble pursuit of higher education. They are aided by teachers, staff members and administrators committed to help all Queens College students secure a better future for themselves and their families. No wonder why Dr. King visited Queens college on May 13, 1965. He came here to pay tribute to Andrew Goodman, a Queens college student and civil rights activist who was brutally murdered in Mississippi, one year earlier while trying to register black residents, said Richards.
“Andrew embodied all that makes Queens College and this borough great. Dr. King said that he along with others paid the supreme price for this struggle and I’m sure that we will see in many ways, that their deaths we’re not in vain.”
“I would not have been the first black man elected to be your borough president if Dr. King and the civil rights movement did not exist. Queens would not be the world’s greatest melting pot where all our cultures and creeds can achieve anything if it weren’t for Andrew’s sacrifice, but we know darn well 2026 that the great progress that we’ve made is now being undermined over the past year. We’ve seen a Trump administration worked tirelessly to erase black history, and to keep the future of our black community in darkness.”
“The president is systemically attacking diversity equity and inclusion (DEI). All the way around you see them attacking healthcare, gerrymandering congressional districts targeting voting rights and immigrant rights but we will once again say proudly in this borough of 190 countries and 60 languages and dialects that are spoken every day that we will never build walls in Queens County, we will build bridges.
During his impassioned address, BP Richards promised not to sit idly by while the administration tries to take away the hard-fought gains obtained by the civil rights movement, “because Americans of all faiths nationalities and political persuasions have the obligation to be active participants in our democracy. We are willing to speak out against injustice whenever and wherever it occurs, said Donovan in a stern call to follow Dr. King’s lead.
“We can change our nation’s course. We are called to be of service to ourselves our community, our city, and our country, that is what doctor king was all about, and by heeding Dr. King’s call we can build the ideal community he dreamed of, right here in our city and our country especially in Queens County.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. May we all stand up against injustice when we see it may we all stand firmer together in our belief that the dream that Dr. King had is still alive. They might have killed the dreamer, but they have not killed the dream happy MLK Day, he concluded.
Additionally, BP Richards presented a special Proclamation to Carol Jenkins, esteemed journalist, author, and civil rights advocate who devoted her entire career and life to advancing racial and gender justice, in the spirit of Dr. King. The host of black America on CUNY TV also received the 2026 Queens College Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
Frank H. Wu Queens College president in his introduction, lauded Jenkins for her groundbreaking work, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, and thanked her for amplifying the stories of inequality.
“You have been a driving force behind national efforts and helped to build broad inclusive coalitions committed to dismantling those systematic barriers and expanding civil rights protections for each human being and continue to be highly respected and effective as an activist,’ said Wu.
Jenkins, who said she came to Queens when she was 3 years old, thanked, BP Richards for the honor, and Jay Hershenson, VP Communications & Marketing, Senior Advisor to the President of Queens College, for hiring her as the host of Black America, celebrating 10 years.
She spoke of the amazing progress that has taken place, “with this university. We are celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., and remembering the ultimate sacrifice of student Andrew goodman, of the county of queens, home to over 1,000.000 immigrants representing some 160 countries.
Jenkins mused that she pretended to live in St. Albans a historic black enclave where the likes of Billie holiday, Lena Horne, Jackie Robinson, and Count Basie moved to in the 1940s.
She recalled spending the first three years of “my life which was the 3rd stopover in the historic 50-mile March King led from Selma to Montgomery.”
“Martin Luther King Jr. was a major influence. I had never met him, but the connection was through my uncle Gaston the Birmingham businessman who posted bail for Martin Luther King in the spring of 1963.”
“As we commemorate what would have been King’s 97th birthday, some of us in this country are in a state of grief and fear of uncertainty because we see the collapse of the mainstream media that we’ve counted on for information. We see academia under threat, we see immigrants like the rest of us who have all been immigrants in one way or another under threat in his years as a leader in the civil rights movement, said Jenkins in a lengthy keynote speech.
Army veteran, William Baron, president of the QC Student Association, noted that celebrants weren’t not merely in attendance to remember Dr. Martin Luther King jr., “we are here to carry his legacy forward. Today’s theme “where do we go from here” is not just a question it is a call to our hearts our minds and our actions.”
“I hear it as something deeply personal because every step of my leadership journey here at Queens college has been shaped by moments where I had to ask myself where I go from here,” he said.
The celebration was highlighted with a moving video presentation “Rooting for SEEK.” The Percy Ellis Sutton – Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge” (SEEK) Program, was designed to reach qualified high school graduates who might not attend college otherwise. It was launched in 1966, by the New York State Legislature.
Themed; Where Do We Go from Here, the commemoration opened with the singing of the Black National Anthem – “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by soloist Aiysama Lennard, accompanied by pianist Nathan Ferraz – Aaron Copland School of Music Graduate students.
Celebrants were entertained by the Tyreek McDole, (vocalist) and Quintet. The Jazz session included musicians Caelan Cardello, Piano, Dylan Band, saxophone, Dan Finn, bass and Gary Jones 111, drums.
