Starting at East High School, a group of U students and members of the Salt Lake community marched 1.3 miles to Kingsbury Hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Kathleen Christy, Salt Lake City School District assistant superintendent and committee member for the MLK Jr. Day celebrations, said the march on Monday was also considered a parade.
“People march in protest, and people parade in celebration,” Christy said. “We are aware that we have a lot to think about and also a lot to celebrate.”
The event began with “The Star Spangled Banner” followed by the “Black American National Anthem.” Sim Gill, Salt Lake District Attorney, kicked off the event.
“Martin Luther King spoke out against what others held in silence,” Gill said. “His message is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. We all have a responsibility to help the marginalized in society. We must fight against the seduction of being silent. Silence is betrayal. We must ask ourselves what we have done to claim the democracy we own.”
Debra Daniels, assistant vice president of the Women’s Enrollment Initiative at the U and director of the Women’s Resource Center, presented the keynote address at the event. She spoke of her childhood and her parents.
“I had friends at school that I wasn’t welcome at their homes,” Daniels said. “They were always welcome in my home; my parents taught me something bigger.”
Daniels spoke about the legacy of King and the lessons he taught her.
“We have much more work to do,” she said. “There are people here whose lives may not cross, but we are all here today to create a better future for the children. Not some of the children, but all of them.”
The Rev. France A. Davis Scholarship was spotlighted at the march as an opportunity to help underrepresented students in the community continue their education by earning a college degree.
As the speeches came to a close, the march began with a crowd of about 300 to 400 individuals. Individuals at the front carried a banner of MLK Jr., and others sang as they walked. The marchers were accompanied by some rain and police escorts on their way to Presidents Circle.
@mary_royal