Thousands march in the annual MLK Marade honoring Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo courtesy of flickr.com
On Monday, January 17, 2011, Coloradans gathered in downtown Denver by the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in City Park, the starting place of the 3.1 mile Marade, to come together in unity to celebrate one man and his dream.
The Marade is named as a combination of both a parade and a march. People began gathering for the event shortly after 9:00 a.m by the statue depicting King and several other historical figures from the slavery and civil rights eras, such as Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi. “I thought the location of the Marade was very well chosen, standing beneath the statue of MLK,” said Junior Ed Gloor, who attended the Marade.
The day’s events commenced with members of local churches leading several prayers, one of which was read in Spanish and another in sign language. Several speeches were given by local members of the community as well as members of Colorado’s government. A speech given by former Mayor Wellington Webb described the history of the day, spoke about King himself, and visibly excited the crowd. “I watched all the speeches and prayers at the beginning of the Marade. The one done in sign language was interesting to me,” said Senior Black Student Alliance member Bryaunna Rice.
In addition to the speeches there were many original pieces and music shared with the crowd. Poems were read, live music was performed, and a young women from a local high school sung the Black Nation Anthem (a song written as a poem in 1900 set to music) for the crowd. “The original poem was fantastic, the speaker was really inspired, and she really inspired the crowd. It was a very good way to start off such an inspiring event,” said Gloor.
The annual Marade is one way to be part of the local community here in Denver. The march created a tangible feeling of unity in which anyone felt welcome. “I went to the Marade last year and was freezing the whole time=; it was great to have good weather this year. I went to the marade this year with Colorado Star Lights, an organization that does drums, cheer, and poms, and met up with BSA and TJ later during the marade,” said Rice.
The march takes place every year on Martin Luther King Day and anyone is invited to participate. “I would tell anyone to go because you see how his dream came alive and that it has not yet died. Reaching the Capitol during the marade is historical and feels empowering,” said Rice.
Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 80 years old on January 15, 2011.
