Spokane celebrates life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
SPOKANE, Wash. — On Monday, people marched through the streets of Spokane to remember and honor the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Across social media and at the center of the parade of Dr. King’s famous quote, “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Dr. King’s message of unity was felt as the day of service returned to downtown Spokane. Following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Unity Rally and Unity March returned on Monday. Many families attended to make sure MLK’s vision is passed down to the next generation.
People from different walks of life marched the streets of downtown Spokane with one common goal: to celebrate what Dr. King stood for.
Michael Bethley brought his son, MJ, to give him the experience.
“It’s a matter of showing love, being that love and really just being able to hopefully instill that in him as well and him carrying it on for the next generation,” Michael said.
“I like that he really didn’t care about what anyone was thinking or saying to him and his family, and he had a dream and he wanted to make it happen, and as we can see, it’s happening,” Deahnna Fuller, a high schooler, said.
The day of service started with a rally inside the Spokane Convention Center, where young people also took the stage to share a message of unity.
“At this rally today, we’re taking a huge step forward to uniting with the ones around us,” Vernon Glass, a student at Rogers High School, said. “After today, it is our job to stay united and stay strong through tough times with family, friends, and possibly even the ones we connected with in this room.”
The connection is felt even though this hasn’t happened in the last two years.
“It’s really a blessing after COVID or after the pandemic to see so many people that are coming out to support,” Latrice Fuller said. “We notice that the walk was a little bit shorter but at the end of the day it was so nice to see everybody here.”
The community is coming back together to honor MLK’s life and legacy once again. This day is looked to as a day on, not a day off, to celebrate the Civil Rights Leader. When the march ended, people gathered back inside the convention center for a resource fair.
On Tuesday, the celebration of MLK continues at Gonzaga University. GU is hosting a service called, “Together We Lift Our Voice” at 12:10 p.m. There will be spoken word, music and movement at the University Chapel.
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