On January 18th, a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration March was held in Clearwater to honor the late Dr. King’s nonviolent message of human rights and equality. The event was marked by the spirit of the day, with people of different races, cultures and faiths coming together to pay their respects to the man and his legacy.
Beginning at the North Greenwood Recreation Center, the march headed south along MLK Avenue, crossed through Downtown Clearwater via Cleveland Street, and ended up in Coachman Park, where it was followed by a stirring rally.
In 1983, President Ronald Regan signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as a federal holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday, which was January 15th.
“The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America,” says Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, on the official Martin Luther King, Jr. website.
“We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example – the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.
“It is a day of interracial and intercultural cooperation and sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant spirit of brother and sisterhood. Whether you are African-American, Hispanic or Native American, whether you are Caucasian or Asian-American, you are part of the great dream Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America. This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples' holiday.”
For more information on Martin Luther King, Jr., visit www.thekingcenter.org.