People celebrated Doctor Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday, Monday. About 300 participated in the annual M-L-K march beginning at the Science Factory and ending at the Shedd Institute. Sarah Ross has participated in M-L-K events for more than 30 years. She says it’s important to continue to teach younger people about the history of establishing Civil Rights.
Ross: “They think the Civil Rights Movement was, you know, peace and love. But it was getting your head busted. It was standing up for your rights in the face of severe violence and repression.”
Ross is part of a support organization for interracial families called “H.O.N.E.Y.” Members of Occupy Eugene and the homeless advocacy group SLEEPS also attended the March. Whoville representative David Strahan says Dr. King fought for human rights for everybody.
Strahan: “It’s hard to believe that most people don’t feel that a legal place to sleep isn’t a human right. When did sleeping become a privilege and not a right?”
Strahan and others say civil rights have progressed but there are still social inequalities that require attention. This year’s MLK theme was “Stand United.”
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