Ogden MLK Jr. Unity March recognizes strides made, work still to be done
-
- Participants in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March proceed down Kiesel Avenue in downtown Ogden on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.
-
- Demonstrators made signs at Union Station before participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March in downtown Ogden on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.
-
- Demonstrators move down 24th Street in downtown Ogden as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024.
OGDEN — Monday was a national holiday as Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed in Utah and around the United States. However, demonstrators in downtown Ogden operated with the credo that it was an “on day, not an off day,” as they marched through the city streets.
The Ogden Branch NAACP, Project Success Coalition, Ogden City Recreation and Weber State University presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast & Unity March on Monday to commemorate the day, King’s life and work, as well as the continuing effort to make the world more equitable and inclusive for all.
“This is actually my first march,” said Maisie Scriven of Ogden after the event. “I thought it was a great thing. … The community, which is what I’ve always been looking for in Ogden, has been hard to find.”
After enjoying a meal and hearing speeches from Ogden NAACP President Betty Sawyer, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Senior Director Denny N. Johnson and others at Union Station in Ogden, attendees made signs in preparation for their march. King’s six principles of nonviolence also were recited.
Demonstrators then gathered in the station’s north parking lot, after which they proceeded down Wall Avenue, toward 24th Street. From there, the procession moved eastward until reaching Kiesel Avenue, at which point people marched toward the Ogden Amphitheater on 25th Street, where the event was eventually concluded.
Ogden police ensured the safe passage of those participating in the march, who sang songs and recited messages of love and unity as they moved toward the amphitheater. And onlookers joined in as the crowd moved past them.
This year’s march marked the first time the procession moved down 24th Street, a portion of which was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Street in 1995. However, Sawyer promised it wouldn’t be the last time.
For Kira Smalls of Layton, who has been participating in the MLK marches since grade school, the event’s evolution has been something to behold.
“When I was a child, I just remember not wanting to come here — just wanting to be inside — but, as I got older, I really did understand the importance of coming out here,” Smalls said. “I don’t take for granted the fact that some people couldn’t come, or it’s not in peoples’ hearts to come.”
A hot-button issue during speeches was the need for people to get involved in their communities, as well as at all levels of government.
While addressing the crowd at the amphitheater, Ogden school board member and Utah Senate District 3 candidate Stacy Bernal implored attendees to keep a close eye on upcoming legislative sessions amid “unprecedented” bills aiming to curb diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Although efforts far and wide continue on the social justice front, acknowledgements of the work that still needs to be done were a recurring theme of the event.
“I think it’s horrible,” Scriven said of what she has encountered at times in Utah. “I did not think that my children would have to grow up like this. When I was a kid, yeah, I went to all-white schools because that’s what was here. But, for my kids to feel like that’s how it still is, even though it’s not, is kind of weird.”
Said Smalls: “I do think there have been (strides), just having these sorts of organizations, these sorts of outreach programs happening, but I would love to see it be more instrumental. I know diversity, inclusion — that’s the hot thing. And I know people want to look like they’re on the right side of history. But I really want that to be entrenched in everything.”
As MLK celebrations continue this week, the Project Success Coalition will be hosting a read-a-thon Tuesday and a friendship bracelet exchange Thursday, with both events from 4-6 p.m., at 2909 Washington Blvd. in Ogden.
