Thread by @mikememoli

With no fanfare, @JoeBiden has arrived for National Action Network MLK Day event and is already taking selfies

Seated together at head table: MLK III, Biden, Al Sharpton, and Mike Bloomberg

Sharpton, speaking now, notes that the White House has no official event today marking MLK Day. "This is an insult to the American people," he says.

Sharpton: "The White House has not only shut down those [federal] workers, they shut down the King holiday."

Sharpton introing Bloomberg now. Sharpton says the night Bloomberg was elected mayor he got a call from him, promising to always be accessible even if they wouldn't always agree.

Notes he hadn't talked to the then-sitting mayor (Giuliani) in 8 years.

. @MikeBloomberg acknowledges @JoeBiden, a "great American."

"Whatever the next year brings for Joe and me, I know we’ll keep our eye on the real prize, and that is electing a Democrat in 2020 and getting the country back on track."

Bloomberg then sort of teases that he hasn't had a chance to talk with Biden today, but that he looked forward to getting "some pointers on what it’s like to live in Washington, DC."

Bloomberg focuses on his education record as mayor, doubling budget during tenure. But if Dr. King saw "the little progress we’ve made in giving all minority children a sufficient education to succeed over the past four years he would be shocked."

And talks now about his efforts on gun violence. Says that had Dr. King lived he has "no doubt" that he would have made gun violence an important part of his life.

Bloomberg says MLK would have been especially proud to see election of @lucymcbath. Notes he paid for radio, TV and direct mail that helped elect her.

Sharpton now lavishing praise as he introduces Biden, calling him true public servant. On Obama's choosing him as his "partner" for eight years: "That’s why many of us saw a man that would put his shoulder to the wheel to move America forward."

.@JoeBiden opens with a plug for Amtrak after teasing he had an "announcement to make."

No acknowledgment from Biden of Bloomberg as the other did to him. Begins formal remarks by talking about visit to Memphis recently to receive honor from museum on civil rights and visiting Lorraine Motel

With MLK III present, Biden says: "We’ve learned in the last two years it doesn’t take much to awaken hate. ... 50 years later the hate that cut your dad down is still nurtured by those forces of darkness."

"One thing we know for certain -- we learned it over and over again through history, whether the holocaust or the civil rights movement -- silence is complicity. We have to speak out."

Biden speaks directly to his record on criminal justice: "I haven’t always been right … but I’ve always tried" to do right.

Talks about working with Obama to end disparity of sentencing on crack-cocaine, other efforts

Biden tries to end on optimistic note. Recalls standing on train platform in Wilmington, a city scarred by riots in '68, to wait for arrival of Obama to travel together to DC for inauguration.

"Don’t tell me things can’t change!"