Newark Museum Strengthens Community With Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

The Newark Museum of Art (NMOA) welcomed several families who came together after the latest winter storm for an exciting celebration of Dr. King. Sponsored by the Horizon Foundation of New Jersey and the TD Charitable Foundation, the event was organized to celebrate Dr. King and the Newark community. 

According to the museum’s CEO and Director, Linda Harrison, this event reflects NMOA’s commitment to “working hard, working hand-in-hand, across communities, across races and beliefs to overcome divisions and foster compassion, understanding, and justice.” 

“[NMOA’s] mission is based on the belief that not only is art for everyone, but our goal is for the museum to engage with the public. To build a more equitable, a more kinder, and safer Newark,” said Harrison.

Organizations such as the St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, University Hospital, Path for Change Counseling, the Newark Water Coalition, Lions Club, and the Diabetes Foundation offered guests a variety of free items and resources for the public’s well-being. These gifts ranged from pet food and toys to vision tests and eye prescriptions. The NMOA even offered discounts for museum memberships and held a food drive collection with complimentary T-shirts.

On top of all that, the NMOA offered a family-friendly environment with several activities catered for children, allowing guests of all ages to enjoy the holiday. Specifically, the museum featured art and crafts stations where children could create accordion books, MLK Jr. buttons, and pillows. The museum also featured a storytelling circle where adults read books to the children.

New Jersey’s DJ Shell Spin provided music throughout the day, and the NMOA entertained the public with several song and dance performances in Engelhard Court. Artist Yahaya Kamate traveled from his home in Côte d’Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, to deliver exhilarating drum and dance performances inspired by West African culture. Kamate even invited members of the audience to join him in some cultural dance exercises in front of the crowd.

Likewise, the NMOA welcomed the co-founders of the Eyes Like Mine nonprofit, Krystle Allen and Naquela Wright, and the winners of the organization’s 2024 Ms. Blind Diva Empowerment Pageant. Together, these women paid tribute to Dr. King and acknowledged his legacy, coming together to sing a song celebrating Dr. King’s birthday.

During this Community Day, courageous children from the One Step Ahead Center recited Dr. King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech alongside Useni Eugene Perkins’s poem, “Hey Black Child.” They also performed in an inspiring choir, showcasing the next generation’s aspirations for peace and unity among all races.

While the NMOA had plenty of celebrations of MLK Jr. and Black culture, it also showed how the Civil Rights movement continues in the present. For instance, the museum’s Bill Johnson Auditorium held multiple screenings of Dr. King delivering his speech, “The Other America,” at Stanford University in 1967. 

While this speech isn’t as celebrated as Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream,” its message about the racial inequality and suppression Black people face in America rings true in the present day. As many Black folks continue to live in poverty and fight for justice and equality after decades of advocating for better, the NMOA shows how Dr. King’s message must continue to be heard by American youth in the hopes of achieving progress.

Overall, the NMOA didn’t just reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and achievements in the Civil Rights movement. How it brought so many people together in the spirit of hope, love, and unity shows the ideals he stood for permeate to this day in the next generation. Dr. King made it clear that a lot more work needs to be done to rectify the racial inequality seen in “The Other America.” Nevertheless, NMOA’s Community Day provided much-needed fun and optimism to the people of Newark as they look toward the future.