SALT LAKE CITY — In the 50-plus years since the historic March on Washington, millions have commemorated Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of equality for all on the day named in his honor. On Monday, the tradition continued in Utah as many paid tribute to the legacy of the nation’s most renowned civil rights leader by speech and through acts of service.
In downtown Salt Lake City, the Utah chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People hosted its annual luncheon at the Little America Hotel, which promoted continuing the uplifting and peaceful efforts led by King decades ago.
“There has been progress, but there is still other work that has to be done,” Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake chapter of the NAACP, said. “We don’t want people to think that (the holiday) is just a black thing. When people were marching with Dr. King, it was everybody marching.”
Williams noted that the progress for civil rights made by King and the NAACP helped everyone, not just minorities.
She warned, however, that discrimination still exists in the community and requires diligent and persistent effort to be eliminated. She said that today’s society has new forms of discrimination to contend with that didn’t exist during the original civil rights movement.
“We want to make sure that women get paid the same as men,” Williams said. “When we talk about equal rights, we have to talk about marriage equality.”
She said Rev. King would be “dismayed” by the violence that pervades society today, particularly as it relates to police shootings and terrorism in the name of religious extremism.
“He was a person who taught non-violence,” she said. “Dr. King would be very disheartened by these (incidents).”
Williams said her organization would continue to strive for positive change in Utah and other cities nationwide.
“Dr. King made huge strides in everything that he did, but we still have to continue in his work,” she said. “It’s work that needs to be done.”
Across the Beehive State, Utahns recognized MLK Day in various ways. In Utah County, hundreds of volunteers from the Provo-Orem area, including many BYU students, gathered for Community Outreach Day to honor King's legacy through public service.
In Murray, the state’s longest continuous celebration of Dr. King was held in the Murray High School Auditorium with performances of multicultural music, student commentary and a reading of the “I Have a Dream” speech.
In Salt Lake City, community members organized a rally at East High School, then joined in a “marade” — a combined march and parade aimed at expressing solidarity and support for the ongoing effort to bring equal rights to everyone.
Kevin Emerson brought his 4-year-old boy, Rowan, to the event hoping to expose his son to the “mission and dream” of King.
“It’s important to teach him about the civil rights issues that Martin Luther King worked so hard for,” Emerson said. “We start with simple lessons (on civility, fairness and respect) which a lot of people still need to learn.”
Park City resident Michele Roepke wanted her 6-year-old and 8-year-old sons to participate so they could experience more diversity than they typically would in their normal Summit County environment.
“It is part of their history and part of their future,” she said. “They can (learn) to stand up for rights of people around them and do what’s right in the world.”
Roepke said that continuing to follow King’s “dream” would help society to uphold principles that will eventually make life better for everyone.
The featured speaker for the event was University of Utah Women’s Resource Director and activist Debra Daniels. She implored the audience to endeavor for equality for all and create “safe havens” for people who cannot do so for themselves “in order to instill hope and bring forth a more peaceful community.”
“Our youth today live in a world redefined,” she said. “They are learning to look beyond their own lived experience to advocate for many identities that are not their own, but recognize their humanity.”
Those lessons can make life better for all, she said, though there will be challenges to face along the way.
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. We together, young and old, will stand together to ensure the redefinition of freedom to include justice, equity and peace,” Daniels said. “We have work to do, but it is not ours to do alone. We will do it together arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder.”
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