Last January, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and celebration in downtown Dayton. I wrote about what a great time it was last year. I even met the Governor.
As a result of that blog post, Laura Arber found me and asked me to take part in this year’s event. Laura is organizing the march that enters into downtown from the South – there are 4 groups in total one from each direction converging at the old courthouse downtown.
Part of my responsibility as a volunteer is to help to promote the march. I have agreed to spread the word and ask others to participate and thus I am asking you to join me on January 19 . If you have never been to this event, you should check it out. If you have been, I hope you choose to return again. It is a wonderful and unique experience celebrating the life of an amazing human being at a time when his dream is alive and well in America.
Laura sent me a detailed message describing the event which I will share with you:
On January 19, 2009, we will again have the opportunity of honoring Dr.
Martin Luther King, his values, his contributions and his legacy.
There will be a number of events on the weekend, and during the preceding
week, but we particularly want to bring to your attention the Martin Luther
King March on Monday, January 19, 2009.
Over the years, the Dayton community has created an event that reflects the
best of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s values and hopes – the need for a
community to come together in good will and reconciliation. This year, it
seems even more important that the Martin Luther King message be observed by
all of us – Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, persons from Dayton, Oakwood,
Kettering, Centerville, Huber Heights, Trotwood, Clayton, the youth and the
elderly, -representatives from all the parts of the world who comprise the
Dayton community.
The Dayton March begins in four separate locations. As each march
proceeds, it gathers in more people until the truly joyous moment when east,
west, south and north join tumultuously at Third & Main and four streams of
people become one community.
This is not just an invitation but also a call to the community for all
persons and organizations to be with us on January 19, 2009. Youth and
youth organizations are particularly called but everyone in the community is
welcome. Banners recognizing any of our marching organizations will be very
welcome. We would appreciate your including this event in your church,
university, or school bulletin announcements, starting after December 18,
2008. The starting point of the march for the South Quadrant is Dayton
Fairgrounds , and we will begin marching downtown at 11:00 am. Please feel
free to join us for the march and celebration.
We look forward to seeing you on January 19th in the march, and at
Courthouse Square.
Sincerely,
Laura L. Arber
South Quadrant Chair
I hope to see you there.
Laura has a knack for bringing good creatives to together and help spread awareness. I should know, been working with her for over a year now. Glad to hear you are getting involved with the community, such a monumental part of history.
Thanks for helping to get the word out!
Thanks to you and all at Bing who are so nice to leave comments here. It is really great to see so many people from Bing Design so involved in such a wonderful event. Kudos to you.
I came across this post after reading the book, Day of Tears last night. It is the story of the largest slave auction in history. It was sent home with my 5th grader for me to preview due to the intensity of the subject and the language used in the book. As my children read the accompanying letter from the teacher about concerns with the “N” word being used throughout the book, I was struck by the fact that they had no idea what that was. Maybe they’ve just been sheltered, but I would like to think that it is because they are growing up in a changing world. Slavery is a part of a not so distant history, and segregation existed in my lifetime. To have come from that shameful history to now electing an African American president is awe inspiring. I want my children to recognize and understand that history, and to also recognize the courageous people like Dr. Martin Luther King who turned the tide of history. In that spirit our family will be joining the march to celebrate this new era in American history. “Yes we can”.