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The Brooklyn Academy of Music and Medgar Evers College held their 24th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. "Come Share the Dream" was the theme of this year's celebration, the largest in the city in honor of Dr. King.

Actor and activist Danny Glover delivered the keynote speech during the salute.

“If indeed the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice, are we prepared to continue to prepare ourselves to follow the arc and have justice and true peace?” asked Glover.

With soaring unemployment and poverty among African Americans in the city, attendees say the celebration was also a time to reflect on improving the circumstances of many in the community.

“I think while race relations are better with the election of President [Barack] Obama, people think it's a panacea but it's not,” said one New Yorker. “It's the beginning of starting to work on race relations and open a public forum about it.”

And with Brooklyn home to one of the nation's largest Haitian communities, this holiday was cast against the backdrop of their heartache here and in their homeland.

"As we celebrate the work of Dr. King today and every day here in Brooklyn, the truth is, it's with heavy hearts that we think of our brothers and sisters in Haiti," said Markowitz. "And we think about the tens of thousands of Haitian-American families in Brooklyn."

For parents, this was a day to ensure civil rights history is imprinted on their kids’ minds.

"I used to come here many years ago, so I just wanted my daughter to share the experience," said another event attendee. "It's a celebration of Martin Luther King, who to me is the most historic black man on earth. So I think it's important for her to understand that."

“I think my boys can realize through King and Obama that anything they can dream possible,” said a third.

One speaker told the crowd if Dr.King were alive he'd be grateful, but not satisfied. However, Governor David Paterson left the crowd with a nugget of inspiration.

“You might want to think about not what your struggle is but what the end of your struggle is,” said Paterson.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other elected officials celebrated the holiday by hosting a reception in honor of Dr. King.

The mayor was joined by local lawmakers and community leaders at City Hall, where Dr. King made a landmark 1964 visit.

Participants said it was fitting the civil rights leader is remembered through a day of volunteerism. And they said as New Yorkers struggle with difficult times both at home and abroad, it helps to remember the man's honesty and determination.

"How do people get strength to move forward and overcome? Dr. King would tell us, 'hold up a mirror, don't deny whats going on but rise to the occasion,'" said the mayor. "We should all be rising to the occasion. As much progress that we've made we still have more to do to stand up and make Dr. King proud every single day."

Bloomberg spent part of the day in Chicago, volunteering alongside representatives from dozens of cities.

The country's first black president also used the occasion to volunteer.

President Barack Obama spent his first MLK Day as president serving meals at a Washington homelss shelter. The first family shook hands and broke bread with people at the organization called "So Others May Eat."

The president also met with black elders and their grandchildren to discuss the civil rights struggle, before attending the the "Let Freedom Ring," concert at the Kennedy Center – which features nationally renowned artists and choirs from Washington-area churches.

"I wanna wish everybody around the country a day in which they reflect on the extraordinary contributions that ordinary citizens can make each and every day to make America the most hopeful country in the world," said Obama.

In Georgia, the civil rights leader's family marked the day with a visit to King's grave.

His sister, Christine King Farris layed a wreath.

She was accompanied by Isaac Newton Farris Junior, King's nephew and president of the King Center – a living memorial to Dr. King's legacy.

A commemorative service was also held at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the civil rights leader worshipped, and his childhood Atlanta home was open to the public for the day.