Crowds watch on at Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert. The Liberty City nonprofit Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation holds the event to commemorate Dr. King during the anniversary week of his assassination.
Courtesy of Harris Public Relations
Now in its 21st year, the Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert event, which is held during the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, mobilizes Miami’s community leaders, advocates for advancing civil rights and economic opportunity while honoring King’s legacy.
This year’s event comes as Black communities are faced with increasing economic disparities and having their history erased as unemployment in Florida’s Black community is almost twice that of white people and the Legislature continues to pass bills limiting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout the state.
“There’s just a lot going on in the world,” said Amina McNeil, president and CEO of Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to developing and improving the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor, which organizes the event every year. “It feels more chaotic, at least, than any other time in my life. I want people, when they come to the event, to have a break from that.”
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, but had strong ties to Miami’s Brownsville community, primarily at the historic Hampton House where he rehearsed his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr sits outside a property in Montgomery, Ala., May 1961. (Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Express Getty Images
This year’s event features musical performances by Grammy-award winning gospel act Kirk Franklin, Miami-based performer Martha Whisby-Wells, the Voices of Friendship choir, a reading of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by Elder Ronald Chandler, a video tribue to Jesse Jackson Jr., and a candlelight prayer.
The event will also highlight the MLKEDC’s programs in the Liberty City community that address residents’ economic needs, like their Wheels to Work program, which provides affordable vehicles to Miami’s District 5 residents, and their Kitchen Incubator program, which provides a fully licensed kitchen to support culinary entrepreneurs.
Grammy award-winning gospel icon Kirk Franklin will perform at Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert, hosted by the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation. Courtesy Harris Public Relations
McNeil said her organization approaches the way it serves the Liberty City residents with the “beloved community” mindset Dr. King described in his 1957 speech “The Birth of a New Nation,” in which he outlines an inclusive, supportive community. The corporation owns a building at the corner of 67th Street and Seventh Avenue and rents to several businesses below market rate so that business owners can have more funds for other needs such as employees.
“It may be on a small level, but you have to start small to affect greater change,” she said.
McNeil said she is hoping people walk away from the event feeling they can withstand the pressures Black people have faced this year, and that they glean inspiration from King’s legacy.
“If you haven’t felt encouraged yet this year,” she said, “I hope you leave this concert feeling encouraged.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert
WHEN: 3 p.m. Saturday, April 4
WHERE: Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami
COST: Free for Miami’s District 5 and Miami-Dade County District 3 residents; there is a waitlist
INFO: eventbrite.com
Miami Herald
Raisa Habersham is the race and culture reporter for the Miami Herald. She previously covered Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale for the Herald with a focus on housing and affordability. Habersham is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She joined the Herald in 2022.