Roughly 100 people took to the streets Monday for a commemorative march honoring the civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.
The event was rescheduled after January's ice storms, which closed schools and caused widespread power outages across the region. Organizers cited safety and access as the reasons for the postponement.
The Eugene-Springfield Branch of the NAACP organized the march. The event began Monday morning at the University of Oregon’s Autzen Stadium and – with Eugene Police motorcycle escorts - wound through the downtown on High Street, ending at The Shedd Institute.
NAACP president Demond Hawkins joked with the crowd that the while the weather wasn’t as nice as it was on January 15, they’d press on, noting it was Black History Month and Presidents Day. He said looking back at the civil rights movement during King’s time, there was progress mad, but much still remained.
Before the march, Hawkins told KLCC that among the issues weighing on Black Eugeneans’ minds were disparities in housing, income, and healthcare. He had this advice for voters ahead of the November elections.
“Pay attention to the issues, and follow candidates who want to move the actual issues forward about our community and not follow particular party lines,” said Hawkins. “And make sure the people that you follow have character and values, because those things are also very important as well.”
The MLK Jr. March was about one third of its normal size. That’s because the 4J and Springfield School Districts used the Presidents Day holiday to make up classes that were canceled during the ice storm.
Hawkins said he didn’t want to “throw shade” on anyone involved with the schools, but did recall as a child that his parents took him out of class to participate in the MLK Jr. March on the slain civil rights leader’s birthday, well before it became a federal holiday.
Overall, Hawkins said he was pleased with the weather and turnout.
“It takes all of us coming together to overcome oppression and remove hate,” said Hawkins.
Copyright 2024, KLCC.
