The event marked the 27th annual celebration honoring King
By Christian De Jesus Betancourt
MERCED, Calif. – Neither cold, fog nor rain deterred the will of hundreds of people Monday to honor the life and legacy of civil rights icon Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a march and parade.
At 10 a.m. Monday, in front of the Amtrak station, students, civil leaders, public servants and citizens from different ethnic backgrounds lined up to march through the city, ending their journey at the Merced Theatre. A celebration at the theater followed.
The theme for the 27th annual celebration was “Not A Commemoration, But A Continuation.”
Sisters Destini and Keya Williams brought their children to the event to show them how the power of the legacy of the non-violence civil rights hero still lives on.
“If it weren’t for King, a lot of this wouldn’t be possible,” said Destini Williams. “I like for them to learn and be engaged in the community and understand Martin Luther King’s purpose and legacy.”
Keya Williams went to the event to mingle and meet the people of the community she calls home.
“I think everyone should know a little about their history,” she said. “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. We wouldn’t continue to fight for our rights. His legacy means a lot.”
This year was not Tyla Williams’ first time at the event, having attended several throughout the years. The 18-year-old Merced College student shared the event’s flyer with friends Amara Sales and Aminah Tahsen.
The trio joined the march displaying a Merced Black Parallel School Board Banner.
“I would say freedom,” said Tyla Williams about what King’s legacy meant to her. “There’s a lot of things that Black people weren’t able to have. Now we can do things that we never were able to do before.”
“It’s about unity,” said Sales. “There’s a lot of races out here, too and that was really nice to see.”
“MLK would’ve been happy to see that,” added Tahsen.
A legacy remembered
Event organizer Joyce Dale was one of many responsible for bringing the MLK celebration to life.
“We get hope on this day,” she said. “People come together, and it’s a sign of peace. I love it because everybody remembers Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight and dream. We are all living it right now. People getting together is how we make things happen. That’s how we make change.”
Dale remembers an event she attended where she heard young writers share essays about the legacy of Dr. King and the hope it gave her for the future.
“(The fight for civil rights) was important enough for him to give his life,” she said. “It’s important enough for us to keep that fight going. We will never forget. His legacy is very important and it gives us strength.”
Sacramento native Anthony Heard has made Merced his home after moving here to study civil engineering at UC Merced. The third-year student and Bobcat Community Builders organization president said although the weather made it challenging to come out, it was nevertheless important to show up.
“I want people to realize that our voices don’t have to die after we do,” he said. “The legacy of Dr. King for me as an African American fellow means I’m really amplifying the voices of my ancestors. I didn’t have to go through the same things they did.”
King’s legacy, Heard said, helped him understand what civil rights activists went through while honoring “that people fought for where I am right now for me to be able to go to a university, for me to be able not to be discriminated (against) as much and for me to know that my voice matters.”
NAACP Merced branch President Allen Brooks said he saw the legacy of Dr. King on display during the march as people of different cultures came together to celebrate.
“The legacy of King means equality for all,” he said. “Equal rights for everybody. Treat everybody equally, fairly as you would want to be treated. That’s what he fought for. This is beautiful. Merced is a wonderful place. We’re changing and the people are in charge here.”
Several elected officials attended the event, including District 1 Supervisor Rodrigo Espinoza and his counterpart from District 2, Josh Pedrozo.
“One of the things that’s so great about our community is the diversity of Merced County,” said Pedrozo. “It’s really, really important that we continue this dream and not lose focus on the direction we’re heading.”
King was murdered by an assassin at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. President Ronald Reagan approved recognizing King’s birthday as a federal holiday in 1983.
Christian De Jesus Betancourt is the bilingual communities reporter for Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced.
Merced College students (left to right) Tyla Williams, Aminah Tahsen, and Amara Sales joined hundreds Monday to march from the Amtrak Station to Merced Theatre as part of the celebration to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo by Christian De Jesus Betancourt/CVJC
Hundreds of people marched from the Amtrak Station to Merced Theatre as part of the celebration to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday. Photo by Christian De Jesus Betancourt/CVJC
Walter Smith rode the back of the Merced Sheriff’s boat during a march and parade Monday honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo by Christian De Jesus Betancourt/CVJC
Hundreds of people marched from the Amtrak Station to Merced Theatre as part of the celebration to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday. Photo by Christian De Jesus Betancourt/CVJC
