Dozens of people braved the coldest day of the year on Monday to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by marching against racism through the streets of Bay Ridge.
The multiracial and interfaith group that included residents, community organizers and elected officials paraded from the Arab American Association building on 71st Street and 5th Avenue to Union Church on 80th Street and Ridge Boulevard.
Before marching, Rama Issa-Ibrahim, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, warmed up the crowd by recalling King’s words in a visit to the Berlin Wall a year before his assassination.
“For here on either side of the wall are God’s children, and no man-made barrier can obliterate that fact.” Issa-Ibrahim read.
“We believe that borders that divide countries and separate families are inherently divisive and immoral,” said Alex Pellitteri of Bay Ridge for Social Justice, one of the groups that has organized the march since 2017. “We are fighting to abolish all borders and make sure that no families are separated and people can move freely within the world.”
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