[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”1897.8px” custom_margin=”||-74px|||” custom_padding=”0px||2px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”96px” custom_margin=”|auto|9px|auto||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” border_style_all=”dashed” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow icon_color=”#A9A9A9″ use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”22px” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” text_orientation=”right” width=”100%” min_height=”32px” custom_margin=”-3px||-1px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_release_template\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” border_color_all=”#A9A9A9″ global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”linkedin” url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/cws\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]linkedin[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Queens College Commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day Sunday, January 19, on the Theme \u201cWe Have and Shall Overcome\u201d; Event Co-Sponsored by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0\u2013\u2013<\/strong><\/span><\/b>Honoree Arva Rice, president and CEO, New York Urban League, delivered the keynote address; the Branford Marsalis Quartet Performed<\/i>\u2013\u2013<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”73px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]Flushing, New York, January 21, 2024\u2014Queens College held its annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Sunday, January 19, in Colden Auditorium on campus. The theme of the event\u2014which was cosponsored by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr.\u2014was \u201cWe Have and Shall Overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Queens College President Frank H. Wu recognized Arva Rice, president and CEO of the New York Urban League, with the Queens College Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. Rice delivered the keynote address. The Branford Marsalis Quartet performed; please click HERE<\/a>\u00a0for Branford Marsalis Quartet performance photos (credit Dominick Totino Photography).<\/p>\n In addition to featured speakers and the musical performance, the college premiered the latest episode in its docuseries marking 60 years this spring when King spoke at QC, Treasures in The Civil Rights and Social Justice Archives at Queens College<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we honor the legacy of a man whose impact has been felt by generations in our great nation and will live on for many generations to come,\u201d Wu said. \u201cThroughout his life, Dr. King promoted equality, freedom, and justice for all. And he made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of these ideals. We have felt a special connection to Dr. King ever since he spoke on our campus right here on this stage in May 1965. Sixty years after Dr. King visited Queens College, the words he spoke remain as true as ever. Our society has improved in many ways, and Dr. King\u2019s work, along with the efforts of countless others, paved the way for continued progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Speakers included cohosts Wu and Richards, City University of New York Chancellor F\u00e9lix V. Matos Rodr\u00edguez, Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, Queens College Student Association President William Barron, and Queens College Black Student Union Vice President Gabrielle \u201cSummer\u201d Gayle. A special video message from U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer was presented at the event.\u00a0The Branford Marsalis Quartet performed.<\/p>\n “Life’s most urgent question, according to Dr. King, was ‘What are you doing for others?'” As we celebrate his legacy this month, it’s also incumbent on us to answer that question through action, especially as our nation radically changes course this week,” said Richards. “Overcoming as one community was MLK’s dream, and it was the theme of yet another powerful commemoration of his legacy at Queens College. I thank all our partners for bringing this event to life and to all our neighbors for spending Sunday reflecting on the ideals Dr. King promoted. May we finally realize that Beloved Community he dreamed for us.”<\/p>\n Arva Rice\u00a0<\/strong>has served as president and CEO of the\u00a0New York Urban League<\/a><\/u>\u00a0(NYUL) since 2009. For over 100 years, the New York Urban League has empowered underserved African Americans in the five boroughs, emphasizing education and employment and assisting over one million people to date. Rice, a prominent community leader who has dedicated herself to creating pathways to success for young people, especially girls and women, also served as interim chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, a member of the Women\u2019s Forum and Greater New York Chapter of the Links Incorporated, and trustee at First Corinthians Baptist Church. As a 2013\u20132014 Annie Casey Fellow, she participated in an intensive applied leadership program for government and nonprofit leaders focused on supporting innovative solutions for children. Rice graduated from Northwestern University.<\/p>\n Donovan Richards Jr.<\/a><\/u><\/strong>, a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, was elected borough president in November 2020. He has allocated more than $272 million in capital funding to Queens\u2019 schools, cultural institutions, hospitals, libraries, and parks during his tenure. In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Richards formed Operation Urban Sustainability to combat climate change; and in support of the borough\u2019s more than one million immigrants, he created the Immigrant Welcome Center at Queens Borough Hall in 2021. His efforts to rebuild the borough\u2019s economy post-pandemic include the creation of the Queens Small Business Grant program, securing a commitment from JetBlue to keep its headquarters in Queens, and overseeing the redevelopment of both LaGuardia and Kennedy Airports. Richards has also developed programs to empower historically disadvantaged communities through such initiatives as the Youth and Young Adult Council, Downtown Jamaica Improvement Council, the Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge, and Borough Hall on Your Block.<\/p>\n Three-time Grammy award-winning saxophonist\u00a0Branford Marsalis<\/a><\/u><\/strong> has been recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, considered the highest honor that the nation can bestow on jazz artists. Marsalis, a leading figure in jazz and contemporary music, performs original compositions in addition to jazz and popular classics with his eponymous quartet.<\/p>\n Queens College has a longstanding history of involvement in the struggle for equality and social justice. In 1964, Queens College student Andrew Goodman was slain, along with fellow civil rights workers James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, during a voter registration project in Mississippi. The following spring, as the inaugural speaker in the college\u2019s John F. Kennedy Memorial Lecture Series, Dr. King emphasized the power of peaceful resistance. Click\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/u>\u00a0to listen to King\u2019s 1965 speech at Queens College. In 2015, at its 91st commencement ceremony\u2014and fifty years after King\u2019s address\u2014the college awarded a posthumous honorary doctoral degree to Goodman. Watch the docuseries,\u00a0Legacy Connection: QC & Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr<\/em>., HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n Queens College Commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day Sunday, January 19, on the Theme \u201cWe Have and Shall Overcome\u201d; Event Co-Sponsored by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. \u00a0\u2013\u2013Honoree Arva Rice, president and CEO, New York Urban League, delivered the keynote address; the Branford Marsalis Quartet Performed\u2013\u2013 Flushing, New York, January 21, 2024\u2014Queens College held […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"page_category":[],"wf_page_folders":[],"class_list":["post-5576","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5576"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5591,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5576\/revisions\/5591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_category?post=5576"},{"taxonomy":"wf_page_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_page_folders?post=5576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow icon_color=”#A9A9A9″ use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”22px” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” text_orientation=”left” width=”100%” min_height=”97px” custom_margin=”4px||-1px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_release_template\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” border_color_all=”#A9A9A9″ global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases\/” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”linkedin” url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/cws\/share?url=https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/press_releases” icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#C0C0C0″ background_enable_color=”on” border_radii=”on|25px|25px|25px|25px” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]linkedin[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_button button_url=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjI1NzUiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9mZiJ9fQ==@” button_text=”Press Release Archive” _builder_version=”4.17.2″ _dynamic_attributes=”button_url” _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”16px” button_border_color=”#C0C0C0″ button_font=”||||||||” button_on_hover=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”Maria Matteo” image_icon_background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” image_icon_width=”48px” _builder_version=”4.16.1″ header_font=”Open Sans||||||||” body_text_color=”#000000″ body_font_size=”16px” custom_padding=”|||0px||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Media and College Relations
\n<\/span><\/strong>718-997-5593
\nmaria.matteo@qc.cuny.edu<\/a>
\n[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"