Marching for a Purpose: Wilmington groups mark MLK Day
"It's vitally important they understand the struggle that our forefathers went through and the sacrifices they made."
NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — Monday is Martin Luther King Junior Day. In Wilmington, a number of people gathered on the steps of the former Williston High School to pray and march in honor of Doctor King’s life and legacy.
Marching in the name of justice, equality, and resilience. These are the values Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for.
Members of the National Black Leadership Caucus, the NAACP, Williston friends, and others started marching from the steps of the former Williston High School. In this place, Dr. King was scheduled to visit Wilmington on April 4th, 1968, until changing his plans to head to Memphis, Tennessee, to help striking sanitation workers, where he was killed. Monday afternoon, these marchers — uniting voices for change.
“How does it feel being black in an institutionalized, racist system? I can describe it in one word — hell,” exclaimed Sonya Patrick, the Southeast Chair of the NBLC. “There are a lot of social, mental, psychological pressures you go through. When you see people constantly discriminated against for nothing, it makes no sense.”
Amongst the dozens walking in the cold, Mychal Robinson stood out, bringing his sons to this march, teaching the two about the life and legacy of Dr. King.
“It’s vitally important they understand the struggle that our forefathers went through and the sacrifices they made,” Robinson shared.
In this sea of diversity, flags waved high, and signs boldly voiced stances against our nation’s history.
“Coming from where I come from, there weren’t many Black people. Like me, having a conversation with a Black man wasn’t common. I didn’t purposefully do it. It’s just how grew up, and I think being in Wilmington has given me more opportunities. At least seek out. Even where I was before, I should’ve sought out.”
So, as these voices rise, so too does the hope for a great future. Marching, reflecting, and educating the legacy of Dr. King on every step they take.
The hope for today’s march is to show they will not be moved, such as the name of the march, “We will not be moved,” and not be going back in time to how society used to be.
