‘It’s critical that we do this.’ Hundreds march in Lexington for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Hundreds braved the cold in downtown Lexington Monday morning to join the city’s annual Freedom March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The march downtown was the only in-person event for the holiday this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and participants were asked to wear masks and keep apart as much as possible. Gov. Andy Beshear was among those who marched.
Even with COVID-19 precautions, the march was able to bring the community together in a time when that is much needed, a group of students from Kentucky State University said. Nya Musgrove, McKenzie Ruffin, Dashawn Isabell and Savion Briggs were part of the group from KSU that marched.
“I’d say in general it’s just good that we can get together and actually march for King, and the fact that we see so many people here in support, and it’s actually all together as one ... it shows that we’re together in unity,” Isabell said.
Musgrove and Ruffin both said that it was important to show respect for King and the work he did, especially given recent events.
“It also shows that everybody’s not against you,” Briggs said. “The media promotes so much negativity, but this shows that unity is still an option. You don’t have to hate, nobody’s here with hard feelings, we’re all here to pay homage to Martin Luther King, but also to show that ... any race can be together in unity.”
Robert Webb, of Lexington, said he participates in the Freedom March every year. He was a sophomore at Henry Clay High School when King was assassinated.
“He done a lot, he died at a young age and I want to hold that up for him,” Webb said. “I could never forget it.”
March coordinator Terry D. Allen, who is the associate vice president for institutional equity at the University of Kentucky, was happy with the turnout Monday morning. A sense of community, and values like justice and respect, meant that it was important for the march to go on despite the pandemic.
“This has been an event we’ve had for many, many years,” Allen said. “I think once it was canceled due to extreme weather conditions, but every year we make every effort possible to come out here and commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., it’s critical that we do this.”
The annual march is usually followed by an indoor program, but because of COVID-19 precautions a film from Lexington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Committee was released on Youtube instead. The film, titled Fire and Heart: A Blueprint for Liberation, was made by Joan Brannon and includes interviews with multiple Black activists from Kentucky. The film discusses the Black Lives Matter movement, the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor and the continuing fight for justice and accountability.
This story was originally published January 18, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
