Several hundred people gathered outside Autzen Stadium in Eugene Monday morning in below freezing temperatures, for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and March. And this year, the event overlapped with Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Bundled in beanies and scarves, with signs that said “DEMOCRACY: USE IT OR LOSE IT” and “LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL” marchers paid tribute to MLK’s message of racial equality and civil rights. With frost covering much of the landscape, people had every right to grumble about the cold weather. But many were quick to recall how last year’s observance was postponed due to an intense ice storm, which shut down much of the Eugene-Springfield area.
A political storm may be in the near future though, with Trump now officially sworn back into office. Trump has pledged to do away with DEI initiatives, and has attacked Kamala Harris’ racial identity and Barack Obama’s birthright citizenship in the past. Many critics say his reluctance to denounce neo-Nazi and white supremacist violence in the 2017 Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally are also indicators that Trump is racist.
Demond Hawkins, president of the Eugene-Springfield NAACP, told KLCC that Trump’s planned rollback of DEI initiatives isn’t surprising.
“If we were fighting for diversity, equity and inclusion before, it didn’t matter if Kamala Harris was in office or Donald Trump was in office, we were gonna still have to fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he said. “That’s just what the battle is in our country, right?”
Reflecting on MLK’s quote, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle,” Hawkins said while the fight for civil rights never ends, people can continue to exist peacefully and civilly as King encouraged.
Event speaker Charles Dalton told the crowd that most Americans feared or hated King during his lifetime.
“And the reason they felt that way, is because he was calling on us all to act in a way that demonstrated good character.”
Like Hawkins, Dalton said Black Americans may be weary of the struggle, but remain resilient against pushback.
“We survived worse,” Dalton chuckled. “We will survive this too. And we may well explain why it’s important to have a leader with character.”
Dalton added that the late former president Jimmy Carter demonstrated the type of character King promoted.
“Probably the most honorable president we’ve ever had, and we need more leaders like him.”
After an hour of welcoming speeches, a land recognition, and donuts, organizers with the NAACP announced it was time to get the march going. With police escort, the crowd went down MLK Boulevard for a day of music, speakers, and reflection on the slain civil rights leader’s legacy.
Copyright 2025, KLCC.
