Dozens ventured out of their homes and into temperatures in the 20s to take part in the 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial March on Jan. 18 in the Twin Cities.
The march switches direction each year, and for this year the route went from Mount Olive Baptist Church in Crystal City to Buren Chapel A.M.E. Church in Festus, where attendees gathered for a presentation marking the occasion.
Denise Brown of G.S.B.T.T.C. (Giving Something Back to the Community), which sponsors the event, said organizers always expect frigid weather for the yearly recognition of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
In honor of King’s Jan. 15 birthday, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday is observed on the third Monday of January. Organizers schedule the MLK Jr. Memorial March for the Sunday before the holiday, she said.
Brown said about 30 people walked in the march, and another 15 traveled in vehicles for the march.
“For the presentation in the church, there were about 70 people,” she said. “I was happy with the turnout. I want to thank everybody who came out and braved the cold. It was cold, but not as bad as the march last January.”
The guest speaker at this year’s presentation was Latosha Fowlkes, chief executive officer of the Paraquad organization.
“Paraquad is one of the leading disabled rights and services organizations and is based in St. Louis,” Brown said. “(Fowlkes) also is a licensed clinical social worker.
“She mainly spoke about teamwork. It all came back to what Dr. King stood for.”
Brown said local church congregations once again helped make the event successful.
“We want to thank all the church denominations that came out,” Brown said.
She noted that many G.S.B.T.T.C. members also take part in the annual Black History Luncheon sponsored by the Cultural Diversity Committee. This year’s luncheon is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Corpus Christi Center at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Imperial.
“We just hope people come support the Black History Luncheon,” Brown said.
For more information about the Black History Luncheon, look for upcoming posts on the CU Diversity Facebook page.