Hundreds of people marched outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Monday night to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Demonstrators began marching from Downtown Brooklyn and headed toward Flatbush Avenue and the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Many speakers thanked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the people before and after him for paving the way for the Black Lives Matter movement. 

They called the demonstration the Fight for Black Liberation. They tell News 12 that at a time where the nation is divided, it’s important to keep using their voices to fight for social and racial equality for all. 

News 12 spoke with an organizer about the gathering, and they tell News 12 the conversation must go on after MLK Jr. Day.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man known for his activism, eloquent speeches and nonviolent means of protest. However, not many know about his love for art as a form of both expression and protest. 

That love is something the Brooklyn Academy of Music has been celebrating for 35 years through its annual Brooklyn tribute to the civil rights icon. 

“Art is essential. It does help you move through very, very deep and difficult times,” said Coco Killingsworth, vice president of education and community engagement at BAM. 

This year, BAM’s celebration has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was livestreamed online and aired locally. 

In addition to the virtual event, BAM organized with local artists to create an MLK-inspired digital billboard, called Let Freedom Ring, on the corner of Lafayette and Flatbush avenues.