Hundreds march in Raleigh and Durham sharing Dr. King’s message of ‘infinite hope’
Hundreds of people marched through the streets of downtown Raleigh and Durham on Monday to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The 40th annual MLK Memorial March in Raleigh brought together generations of families from around North Carolina, children with hand-drawn signs, church groups, members of black fraternities and sororities and campaigners for 2020 presidential candidates.
At the event, sponsored by the Triangle Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, marchers braved the cold to spread the message of the power of infinite hope.
In Durham, where roughly 500 people gathered, King’s message of equal opportunity and justice for all served as a reminder of how far the city needs to go to fix unlivable conditions at McDougald Terrace, a public housing complex that opened in 1954.
Roughly 270 families have been evacuated from the complex on Lawson Street starting Jan. 3, and are living in hotels at public expense as the Durham Housing Authority deals with carbon monoxide leakages.
“We can’t be here today and march and be serious about this work if we’re not committed to the work of doing what’s necessary for McDougald Terrace,” said Durham Mayor Steve Schewel. “I know that’s my responsibility as the mayor. I know that’s our community’s responsibility.”
He and others recognized Ashley Canady, president of McDougald’s resident council, who asked the crowd for their continued support for those dealing with substandard housing.
“We’re going to need you guys tomorrow, we’re going to need you next week, we’re going to need you guys for months,” she said.
‘Never lose infinite hope’
The signs raised above the crowd in Raleigh featured a quote from King: “We must accept the finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Reverend James Clinton Jr. of Wake Baptist Grove Church in Garner said he came out with members of his church because the efforts of civil rights activists like King are a part of African-Americans’ history.
“It’s important for us to always celebrate our history and to teach our children our history, the struggles we have been through and where we have come from,” Yolanda Smith said while standing with her church family.
And 9-year-old Jayda Patterson said she wanted to celebrate King “for making us free.”
The march brought a strong sense of community for participants who came from different areas and backgrounds. They started at the Capital building and flooded Fayetteville Street while singing gospel songs, including a rendition of “Happy Birthday”; chanting in support of King; registering people to vote; and talking about why marches like this matter.
Lauryn Mascareñaz, director of equity for Wake County Public Schools, came out with her young son, who made a sign that simply said “be kind,” and with her friend Charlesa Peoples, an assistant principal at West Cary Middle School.
Mascareñaz said King’s ideas can be easy to forget now without events like this.
“How do we keep this vision alive of what Dr. King stood for if we don’t keep always coming back to it and remembering it?,” Mascareñaz said.
Michael Brown, regional president of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, said this march is a learning experience for the young men who came out from Wake Forest, Durham, Raleigh and Cary.
He said it gives them an opportunity to learn more about King than what they read in textbooks.
“We feel like it’s important to keep the dream alive and continue to work towards social equality,” Brown said. “It’s important to understand who he was to our society and be able to move forward and carry on those legacies.”
Speakers urge voters toward the polls
The keynote speaker at a celebration following the Raleigh march shared a similar message to a crowd at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts.
Jeremy Collins, director of engagement for Gov. Roy Cooper’s Office, talked about using infinite hope to working through today’s obstacles, citing President Donald Trump and the Republican-dominated state legislature.
Collins said despite the despair and disappointments, there needs to be a commitment to never stop working because “joy and victory certainly comes in the morning.” And while the win might not be immediate, he said, the work is “an investment in the liberation and freedom of the future.”
“All of us who believe in freedom and justice cannot rest, we have to keep moving,” Collins said. “This movement is not so much about us. It’s really about realizing freedom for generations to come.”
In Durham, roughly 20 state, federal and local officials and other community leaders spoke. Some of them bemoaned a society that has grown less tolerant of others with different views and backgrounds.
Former state Sen. Floyd McKissick Jr., a Durham Democrat recently appointed to the NC Utilities Commission, said President Donald Trump has fueled that divisiveness and urged the crowd to organize and fight back at the polls.
“If we get complacent, if we sit back, our state will continue to turn backwards in time,” McKissick said. “Our state and nation will be led by a person who is not morally fit to lead. But more importantly we will not protect those very cherished rights that were fought for during the civil rights movement.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 3:17 PM.
