{"id":121307,"date":"2026-02-03T14:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T14:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121307\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T14:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T14:50:10","slug":"mlks-legacy-honored-at-st-johns-annual-dinner-with-special-guests-from-the-nba-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/121307\/","title":{"rendered":"MLK\u2019s legacy honored at St. John\u2019s annual dinner with special guests from the NBA \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. John\u2019s University<\/a> hosted its third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Dinner at the college\u2019s D\u2019Angelo Center, celebrating the life and legacy of the civil rights leader and delving deeper into his message of peace and justice.<\/p>\n

The evening event, coordinated by St. John\u2019s Office of Equity and Inclusion, featured two keynote speakers: former NBA player Jeff Aubry<\/a>, who is now executive director of the Next Gen Basketball Players Union, and former NBA executive Alexys Feaster<\/a>, who produced Hoops, Hopes & Dreams <\/a>for Hulu last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe chose this path, knowing how dangerous it was and what he would have to sacrifice,\u201d Aubry said of King. \u201cHis courage still stands out to me in ways I can\u2019t even really describe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over 100 attendees gathered at the campus in Jamaica<\/a> at 5 p.m. as Lov\u00e9 Johnson, assistant director of Social Justice Training and Education at St. John\u2019s, delivered opening remarks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson emphasized the importance of community and the actions of local movements as critical components to the continuation of King\u2019s legacy, thanking those on the campus who contribute to civil rights causes at St. John\u2019s and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cReimagining the dream requires us to listen deeply, act courageously and recognize that our local efforts are inseparable from global movements for freedom and human rights,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAs we move through this evening \u2014 through art, dialogue and fellowship \u2014 may we be reminded that the dream is not simply a moment in history, but a living commitment that challenges us to ask not only what Dr. King dreamed, but how we will carry that dream forward together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Over 100 attendees listened intently as speakers took to the podium and shared thoughts about King\u2019s legacy, as well as what his teachings means in today\u2019s political climate.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

St. John\u2019s also presented awards to eight honorees for their civil rights advocacy and service to the school and surrounding community. Professional honorees included Kevin Reed, Noa Ben-Asher, Amber Wilson and Ermira Uldedaj, and student honorees included Valent Benedict Guevarra, Nikolai Sotelo, Marcus Hardy and Sydeda Hijab Fatima.<\/p>\n

Fr. Hugo Medellin, chaplain of the college, delivered an invocation at the beginning of the program, drawing parallels between the word of God and the ideals preached by King. He encouraged attendees to be inspired by peaceful efforts and defiance of injustice.<\/p>\n

While many use their differences as a way of viewing themselves as better than others, he said God reveals through Paul the Apostle that followers should instead cast away pride and practice humility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand here in [God\u2019s] presence, aware of the deep divisions in our lives,\u201d Medellin said. \u201cToday, we remember His message of peace, love and solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Fr. Hugo Medellin, chaplain of the college, delivered the invocation at the beginning of the program and emphasized that no one should view themselves as better than anyone else.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

Rev. Brian Shanley said something he does each year to honor King\u2019s memory is reread King\u2019s Letter from Birmingham Jail<\/a>, which he finds to be his most interesting and philosophical piece.<\/p>\n

King was jailed in 1963 for leading a nonviolent protest, the Birmingham Campaign, in Alabama after an ordinance was issued banning public gatherings without a permit. While the right to assemble and express views in protest is protected by the First Amendment, Birmingham\u2019s public safety commissioner, Eugene \u201cBull\u201d Connor refused to grant King permits on multiple occasions.<\/p>\n

Bull was known for violent policing tactics \u2014 fire hoses and police dogs \u2014 to attack protesters, including children.\n<\/p>\n

During King\u2019s time in jail, eight prominent white Alabama clergymen penned a criticism of the civil rights leader and his methods of protest. They claimed King should leave his fight against segregation in the courts rather than on the streets.<\/p>\n

King, then in solitary confinement, began writing on scraps of paper until his lawyers could smuggle him a pad to write on.\n<\/p>\n

Shanley pointed to one criticism of King in which the clergymen asked how he could justify breaking some laws and obeying others. He said according to King, the answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws \u2014 just and unjust.<\/p>\n

King said not only do people have a legal responsibility to follow just laws, Shanley continued, but a moral responsibility, as well. Conversely, he said people have just as much of a responsibility to disobey unjust laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would agree with St. Augustine that an unjust law is no law at all,\u201d Shanley said. \u201cThe clarity, courage and the conscience to stand up for what is right in the face of those saying the same things they said to King\u2026 [King] has left us with one of the most important things we can reflect on in the time we are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Rev. Brian Shanley said according to Christian teachings, it is the duty of citizens to obey just laws and defy unjust laws \u2014 a principle reiterated and practiced by King himself.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

Jeff Aubry pointed out that many of King\u2019s teachings and ideals were deeply unpopular during the time he was alive, and many of his lessons of racial justice have since been whitewashed and embraced by modern American culture, often depicting him as a \u201csafe\u201d figure in the eyes of the American people.<\/p>\n

However, Aubry emphasized King\u2019s approach to economic justice as a major component of his activism in the year leading up to his assassination. One of King\u2019s last protest efforts was marching with sanitation workers<\/a> on strike in Memphis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a labor leader myself, I think about his last effort,\u201d Aubrey said. \u201cThe labor movement as a whole is responsible for the strength of the middle class and American prosperity. It was the last thing Dr. King did, and his approach to economics is potentially what got him killed because it was so revolutionary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aubry said King\u2019s advocacy, despite knowing he was angering his allies in the U.S. and President Lyndon B. Johnson, speaks to the sacrifices the civil rights leader made to keep fighting for what he believed in.<\/p>\n

While many would take opportunities to escape the criticism and pressures King endured, Aubry continued, King kept standing up for oppressed communities.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had the opportunity to get out of it,\u201d Aubry said. \u201cBut that would have meant abandoning the causes he had already championed \u2014 the things he had pushed down the road that he thought would lift this veil of oppression from the American people. But he stayed on that road, and I think that\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Jeff Aubry noted that King not only fought for racial justice, but economic justice through the labor movement, as well.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

According to Alexys Feaster, maintaining hope for the future of civil rights is a discipline. \u201cWe have to stay motivated and encouraged, and we have to have hope for a better nation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Feaster reflected on the risks King took to lead social change \u2014 something she said she\u2019d like to see more from those who are part of the movement.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re in a culture of following,\u201d Feaster said. \u201cPeople want to see somebody else step out first before they lead the charge, or people want to see if there\u2019s societal outrage before they stick their neck out. That\u2019s something Dr. King did without needing someone to lead him.\u201d<\/p>\n

In particular, Feaster called on athletes and other entertainment figures to use their platforms and speak on issues that are important to them.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Feaster then recounted a moment in which Bernice King \u2014 King\u2019s daughter and executive producer for Hoops, Hopes & Dreams \u2014 told her that King wasn\u2019t special. Rather, Bernice said King was an ordinary man that had big dreams for himself and the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hear Bernice King say that Dr. King was just an ordinary man \u2014 I mean, isn\u2019t that who we are?\u201d Feaster asked. \u201cWe\u2019re just ordinary people that have an opportunity to make a bigger impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"After Feaster and Aubry finished their keynote speeches, event coordinators joined them to celebrate the evening with a buffet dinner and a live dance performance.Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St. John\u2019s University hosted its third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Dinner at the college\u2019s D\u2019Angelo Center,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-121307","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}