Queens Vigil To Honor MLK On 50th Anniversary Of His Death

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS -- Politicians, activist groups and locals alike will gather in Jackson Heights on Wednesday to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. exactly 50 years after he was slain on the balcony of his Tennessee hotel room.

Supporters will pay tributes to Dr. King and his legacy with song and prayer in a candlelight vigil spearheaded by New York State Assembly Candidate Catalina Cruz.

Cruz, who became a U.S. citizen after moving to the country from Columbia as a child, is the first dreamer to run for office in New York State. Come September, she hopes to represent Jackson Heights and the other Queens neighborhoods that make up the Assembly's 39th district.

From growing up an immigrant to campaigning as a politician, Cruz told Patch Dr. King and his messages of peace and equal rights have always stuck with her.

"I grew up as a Dreamer, so for me the idea of communities fighting for the American dream has always been at the forefront of what I do for a living," she said.

Cruz said she organized the candlelight MLK vigil to promote a message of racial equality and unity in Jackson Heights and its surrounding neighborhoods that would "help keep (Dr. King's) dream alive in Queens."

"We still need to remind people that we're strong, we're together and we're going to live through Dr. King's legacy," she said.

Dr. King was fatally shot on the balcony outside his second-floor room at a Memphis hotel on April 4, 1968, just a day after he spoke at a rally in the Mason Temple. The Queens vigil marking the 50th anniversary of his assassination will be held at the Jackson Heights Post Office.

Cruz will be joined at the ceremony, starting at 7 p.m., by City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and members of the Jackson Heights Beatification Group, Jackson Heights Green Alliance, Newtown Civic Association, Elmhurst Preservation and Cemeteries Society, New Visions Democratic Club and Friends of Diversity Plaza.

Each group - as well as members of the public - will get the chance to talk about Dr. King and what his legacy meant to them, Cruz said.

"It's a beautiful opportunity to bring everyone together to honor MLK's day," she said.

Lead photo via Keystone/Getty Images.