More than 1,000 people braved below-freezing weather to celebrate civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Monday morning in Eugene. While salt was sprinkled over some of the icier patches of sidewalk, members of the UO Athletic Department danced to rock music and nudged people towards a food drive table they were co-sponsoring with the NAACP.
And this year, organizers behind the march combined efforts.
Previously, separate MLK marches have been held in Eugene and Springfield. But the Eugene-Springfield NAACP has now combined them into one, which speaker and youth outreach coordinator Sasha Chang touched on during introductory remarks.
“We thought it was kinda silly that there would be two different marches on the same day, so we figured out how to collaborate and put it all together so there’s just one march,” Chang said. She added that her organization, Connected Lane County, was helping local youth plan a Black student summit in the near future to help with their personal growth and empowerment.
Empowerment in light of a hostile and divisive political environment is paramount for activists. NAACP Branch president Demond Hawkins told KLCC that marching for civil rights remains vital in light of the Trump Administration’s attacks on DEI, the diminishment of MLK Jr.’s legacy (Trump has eliminated free admission to the National Parks System on this holiday and Juneteenth), and the Supreme Court’s chipping away at the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“There’s still an underbelly of how the country was built, that wants to keep the status quo and the power structure the way it is,” said Hawkins. “And that’s not equitable, it was never equitable from the get go. So we’ve been a country that’s been growing, trying to figure out how to be this most excellent version of ourselves. There’s always going to be a pullback to that.”
The event also incorporated a special recognition called “A Day Without Immigrants.”
Lupe Andrade, a Latine activist and local radio host, spoke to the crowd. She said that she and other community members were joining the march because they are fighting for the same dignity that Martin Luther King Jr. died for.
“For too long, our communities have been forced to live in the shadows,” said Andrade. “Contributing to everything while being granted nothing. Dr. King fought for the worker and the dreamer. And today when our democracy and our civil rights are under attack, we look to that legacy.”
Andrade’s remarks follow a year of intense crackdowns on immigrants across the U.S. While President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defend ICE raids as getting rid of dangerous immigrants, analyses show roughly a third of those being detained and deported have no criminal history.
Anti-ICE and anti-Trump signs mingled with portraits of MLK Jr. and quotes of the slain civil rights leader. And at least one person in an inflatable frog costume was spotted in the march, a symbol of resistance against the Trump Administration that gained popularity in Portland.
Other speakers included Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson, and state Sen. James Manning, D-Eugene.
The march started at Autzen Stadium and ended at the Shedd Institute for a holiday program with speakers. Henry Luvert, one of Eugene-Springfield NAACP’s longest serving presidents, was also honored.
Eugene Police escorted the crowd along the route.
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