By TAMARA HARTMAN

Judges, lawyers, religious and the heavenly voices of Queens children set aside their mornings and lifted their words into a resounding courtroom of the Queens Supreme Court this week to praise the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Queens County Administrative Judge Honorable Steven Fisher said at the Jan. 15 annual Judicial Friends of Queens celebration that it was, "Fitting that we do this in a courthouse. Dr. King so often looked to the court in his struggle for civil rights."

And the Rev. Charles Norris, pastor of the Bethesda Baptist Church, offered the invocation, asking a higher power to "Crown your good with real brotherhood from the turbulent Atlantic to the passive Pacific."

The message from the keynote speaker of the day, Linda Michelle Baron, professor of education at St. John’s University, also reflected on the location where people are asked to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What would be [Dr. King’s] message today, what would be the truth that he would tell?" Her answer was that we must, "Talk to our young people about who they really are. You have to bring a gift . . . you’ve got to know who you are and that you’re worth something . . . this is what we need our children to know. There are many of us who have forgotten we need to listen to our children. We have to change the paradigm between adults and children."

Baron challenged the gathering, "Find some young person . . . some young person who is not your child or your blood . . .and attach yourself to them."

A gifted and stirring solo vocal presentation was offered by I.S. 231 student Anthony Clark, affirming the message "and still I rise."

And musical selections from the I.S. 59 Chorus and Band added to that message that "We Are The World" and "We Shall Overcome."

The message of justice was delivered by Seymour James, Esq., president of the Queens County Bar Association.

"Martin Luther King embodied the objectives of lawyers and judges collectively," James said, and that is to strive and fight for justice.

By MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

For a decade-and-a-half Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the fight against racial injustice in America and for that entire time, he did it with the help of dedicated men and women including Julian Bond, who was recently in the area to talk about King’s legacy.

Julian Bond was a student in 1960 when he founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which organized voting drives and sit-ins.

He was considered a force to reckon with in those days and today is considered an elder statesman of civil rights.

Bond is now chairman of the board of NAACP.

He was also part of King’s dream team, which included Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Andrew Young and later, Jesse Jackson and Stokley Carmichael.

The grandson of slaves, Bond is considered an authority on matters of injustice and a staunch fighter for equality. He was the keynote speaker at North Shore University Hospital’s (Manhasset, L.I. Headquarters) Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service.

Describing King’s knack for words as "the oratory of America’s preacher," Bond says King’s words now speak to Blacks and whites in ways that he never did in his lifetime.

Referring to the recent terrorist attacks on the United States, Bond is also chagrinned that "our old enemy, discrimination," is once again leading to attacks – this time on Arab Americans.

By MICHELLE SELLERS

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., renowned activist for Civil Rights will be honored on Jan. 21 for his significant contributions which lead to the advancement of African Americans.

Following in footsteps the of his grandfather, who was a pastor and founder of the NAACP, and his minister father, King’s advocacy for non-violent social change strategies may have come from the Christian perspective he gained on the route to becoming ordained.

King decided to become the spokesperson for groups challenging police brutality and gaining voting rights for "colored" people.

The fight for these rights are chronicled as beginning in 1963, starting with the demonstration in Birmingham, Alabama against police brutality when protestors were sprayed with water from fire hoses and attacked by police dogs.

A Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Time Magazine Man of the Year, King is most known for his profound oratory skills noted in his nationwide address "I Have a Dream" which brought 250,000 marchers walking on foot from around the country and thousands of televised watchers together honor the request for racial harmony and equality as benchmarked in the U.S. Constitution.

It was the first openly public place where blacks and whites held hands in harmony.

"This 20th Century dreamer’s dream is alive and well. We need to bring more of the actions of his life through to the end," said Southeast Queens Clergy for Community Empowerment Executive Director Rev. Charles Norris. "Not just for African-Americans- all people should take a hard look at his dreams for input."

Dr. King’s life came to a tragic end when he was shot outside his room at a Memphis, Tennessee hotel, after attending a garbage workers strike.

He was standing next to former presidential candidate, Jesse Jackson.

For more information on King, including quotes and speeches, log on to www. mlkonline.com or visit the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia established in 1968, by wife, Coretta Scott King as a living memorial to her husband.

Dr. King’s legacy will be honored at the following locations and times in upcoming days:

The Queens Central Public Library will present a film documenting the life of Dr. King, Jr. beginning at 1p.m.

The Southeast Queens Clergy for Community Empowerment will hold its annual King celebration with guest choirs and preachers.

Bring your dreams and light a candle for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.