Nation to Mark 60th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act on MLK Day

The Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN) will convene MLK Day celebrations on Monday, January 15 in Washington, D.C., New York City and New Jersey to continue the impact, legacy and mission of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on what would have been his 95th birthday.

This year’s celebration is equally significant as the nation prepares to mark 60 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“We are not simply celebrating Dr. King’s legacy this year but coming together to publicly vow to protect it from those who wish to undo his work,” Sharpton said. “Right now, the Civil Rights Act he pushed President Johnson to pass in 1964 is under relentless attack, voting rights for Black Americans are being chipped away in dozens of states and diversity in corporate America is on the brink. 2024 must be a year in which we make a stand to both protect the rights Dr. King fought for and expand them, so our children and grandchildren live in the just nation he envisioned.”

Sharpton will host the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Awards Breakfast at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., beginning at 8:30 a.m. The annual event brings together top government, business and civil rights leaders in the nation’s capital, with past keynote speakers including Presidents Obama and Biden. Sharpton and NAN also recognize elected officials, labor leaders and entertainers who continue to advance Dr. King’s mission.

This year’s honorees include:
MLK Day Labor Leader of the Year Award: CWA President Claude Cummings Jr.:
MLK Day Visionary Award: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore; Taraji P. Henson, president and founder: Tracie Jenkins, executive director of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation;
MLK Day Youth Award: Deyona Burton, youth leader;
MLK Day Lifetime Service of Excellence in the Arts Award: Phylicia Rashad, actress and dean of Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts; and
MLK Day Education Award: Becky Pringle, president of NEA.

Sharpton will then travel to New York City for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Policy Forum at the NAN House of Justice in Harlem. The rally, set to begin at 1:30 p.m., will bring together New York City, State and federal elected officials who will reflect on Dr. King’s legacy as well as the work which still remains.

Finally, Sharpton will be the guest speaker at an MLK Day celebration in Jersey City, NJ, organized by NAN Northeast Regional Director Pastor Steffie Bartley. The event, held at Mt. Pisgah AME Church, begins at 6 p.m. and will feature prominent New Jersey leaders including current First Lady Tammy Murphy, former Gov. Jim McGreevey and prominent Black clergy members from across the Garden State.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net.