‘Marching for hope.’ Hundreds brave the cold to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.

Gov. Andy Beshear, Mayor Linda Gorton and University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto headed a march of several hundred people who faced flurries and frigid temperatures as they celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. throughout downtown Lexington.

Dasha Garrison drove from Nicholasville with her daughter to attend the Lexington march for the first time.

“This is my hope for my kids,” she said. She thinks America is even further away from King’s vision of unity. “We haven’t come together as a people, we haven’t tried to work as one. I’m marching for hope.”

Ayahna Wilson is a UK sophomore from North Carolina, who was also attended for the first time.

“I’m here for Martin Luther King as a leader,” she said. “I have to respect him and honor his purpose.”

Marchers did a loop of Vine and Main Streets before returning to the Lexington Convention Center to hear a keynote speech from Rev. Delman Coates, the senior pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Md. The day’s activities are organized by UK and the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government.