{"id":214266,"date":"2026-04-01T09:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214266\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T09:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:09:09","slug":"mlk-gospel-concert-and-community-programs-in-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214266\/","title":{"rendered":"MLK gospel concert and community programs in Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Crowds<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Courtesy of Harris Public Relations<\/p>\n

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.\u2019s assassination, mobilizes Miami\u2019s community leaders, advocates for advancing civil rights and economic opportunity while honoring King\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event comes as Black communities are faced with increasing economic disparities and having their history erased as unemployment in Florida\u2019s Black community is almost twice that of white people and the Legislature continues to pass bills<\/a> limiting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts throughout the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just a lot going on in the world,\u201d said Amina McNeil, president and CEO of Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation<\/a>, a nonprofit dedicated to developing and improving the city\u2019s Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard corridor, which organizes the event every year. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, but had strong ties to Miami\u2019s Brownsville community, primarily at the historic Hampton House where he rehearsed his \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"American 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 <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s 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\u2019s \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech by Elder Ronald Chandler, a video tribue to Jesse Jackson Jr., and a candlelight prayer.<\/p>\n

The event will also highlight the MLKEDC\u2019s programs in the Liberty City community that address residents\u2019 economic needs, like their Wheels to Work program, which provides affordable vehicles to Miami\u2019s District 5 residents, and their Kitchen Incubator program, which provides a fully licensed kitchen to support culinary entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

\"Grammy 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 <\/p>\n

McNeil said her organization approaches the way it serves the Liberty City residents with the \u201cbeloved community\u201d mindset Dr. King described in his 1957 speech \u201cThe Birth of a New Nation,\u201d<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be on a small level, but you have to start small to affect greater change,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t felt encouraged yet this year,\u201d she said, \u201cI hope you leave this concert feeling encouraged.\u201d<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO:<\/p>\n

WHAT: Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert<\/p>\n

WHEN: 3 p.m. Saturday, April 4<\/p>\n

WHERE: Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami<\/p>\n

COST: Free for Miami\u2019s District 5 and Miami-Dade County District 3 residents; there is a waitlist<\/p>\n

INFO: eventbrite.com<\/a><\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Raisa Habersham<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

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.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Crowds watch on at Reclaim the Dream Candlelight Memorial and Gospel Concert. The Liberty City nonprofit Martin Luther…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214267,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[55722,97771,123,97769,125,124,97770,97768],"class_list":{"0":"post-214266","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami","8":"tag-adrienne-arsht-center","9":"tag-liberty-city-programs","10":"tag-miami","11":"tag-miami-candlelight-memorial","12":"tag-miami-headlines","13":"tag-miami-news","14":"tag-mlk-event-miami","15":"tag-reclaim-the-dream"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}