Today, January 16, Brandon Victor Dixon, currently starring as Aaron Burr in Hamilton on Broadway, celebrated Martin Luther King Day with hundreds of NYC public school children at the Chess in the Schools Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Chess Tournament at PS 11 in Chelsea. Dixon, who played chess as a student himself, addressed the kids at the tournament’s awards presentation.

 

MORE ABOUT CHESS IN THE SCHOOLS: This year, Chess in the Schools celebrates three decades of empowering New York City’s most underserved schools and students. Chess in the Schools is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to improving academic performance and building self-esteem among inner-city public school children through chess. Since 1986, Chess in the Schools has taught, inspired, and empowered more than 500,000 students in low-income New York City public schools. Through structured classroom, after-school, weekend, and summer programs, we use chess as an educational tool to promote learning and to help young people develop skills in critical thinking and problem solving. Chess in the Schools alumni will be analytic thinkers, motivated learners, and critical problem solvers; think before they move; take pride in their accomplishments; and be graceful winners AND losers. www.ChessInTheSchools.org.