Fourteen years had passed between the first the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee of St. Louis commemoration march and King’s birthday becoming a national holiday.
The 54th annual march began in the rain on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Old Courthouse, as the 40th anniversary of the King holiday was being celebrated.
There were events throughout the city and St. Louis County during the weekend, including the annual commemoration service on Saturday in Fountain Park, home of the only statue dedicated to MLK in the state of Missouri.
Standing outside the Old Courthouse, where Dred and Harriett Scott’s legal right to freedom was smothered by the U.S. Supreme Court, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said the battle for economic and social justice continues.
“At the time, [the Scott’s] fight was mocked, and derided,” Jones said.
“Dr. King was too. His ideas were deemed too radical. And even today, [there are] those who try to wash away Dr. King’s idea of service for their own regressive agendas.”
Rep. Cori Bush said Dr. King was “demonized” for standing up for the poor and disenfranchised.
“It’s that same legacy of dehumanization, discrimination and white supremacy that Dr. King and so many others fought so hard to defeat. It’s the same one that we fight now.”
Later Monday, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis held a food giveaway, heeding MLK’s vision of every American taking part in volunteerism and community service.
Mike McMillan, Urban League president and CEO, said vehicles began lining up at 6 a.m., “demonstrating there is a tremendous need that needs to be filled.”
Along with the food giveaway, there was a clean-up effort on Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.
James Clark, Urban League Public Safety Vice President, said Dr. King would want Black people to examine their own shortcomings when it comes to safety and education.
“Dr. King was fighting external things, things that were being done to use. There is an internal crisis that we have been ignoring,” he said.
“If alive today, he would say we must stop killing each other. We must stop disrespecting each other.’
Clark said external forces hinder the Black community’s progress and are as powerful as they were when King were alive.
Crime, violence, the breakdown of the family. Yes, there reasons adding to these problems that we did not create. It’s not all our fault, but it is our responsibility.
A cold morning could not chill the warmth spread at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commencement Program and Peace March in Fountain Park on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
Fountain Park is the site of the only statue in tribute to King in the state of Missouri. Hosted by Centennial Christian Church and the Epsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the event was celebrating its sixth anniversary.
“Dr. King was in these neighborhoods. This is why this statue is in Fountain Park,” said 18th Ward Committee Person Yolanda Yancie.
“We must continue as individuals to uplift him and his memory.”
Mayor Jones said, “Dr. King looked out for those with the least.”
“Dr. King fought for a minimum basic income. This is why [my administration] is using our dollars in neighborhoods that have not been invested in, in decades.”
Jones reminded the group of more than 100 attendees that community support should not end after the MLK Weekend.
“Make sure you are doing your part to lift up Dr. King’s legacy,” she said.
Jesse Todd, 18th Ward Alderman, said King never stopped fighting for poor and working-class people. He was in Memphis on April 4, 1968 in support of sanitation workers seeking a livable wage when he was assassinated.
“Dr. King fought for poor people, and we have to keep fighting. As long as I have breath, I will keep fighting,” he said.
Michael L. Ferrer, the 65th president of the 103-year-old Epsilon Lambda Chapter, cited the event’s 2023 theme “Dismantling Hate by Promoting Hope,” as he said supporting Black youth is paramount.
“It is our job to help raise up youths so they can continue to be safe and whole. It was always the youth that would come out after adults were arrested [for demonstrations in the South.]
“Many were too young for jail and were held in farm fields.”
Following the ceremony, a one-mile march was held on the streets of the Fountain Park neighborhood.
