Martin Luther King, Jr. day recently happened, along with the yearly assemblies at most schools. The MLK assembly at Roosevelt happened during school with the entire student body attending, but there was another way to remember what MLK did for our country and for peace on Thursday, Jan. 12. This march wasn’t on actual MLK day, as many of people had other plans for the holiday.
The march wass early before school, starting at 7:30 a.m. so students could get to school on time. Marchers arrived at the UW in frigid 28 degree morning weather to show solidarity for people of color and to honor Martin Luther King Jr. While there were only 20-30 Roosevelt students who came to the march, these marchers were filled with passion and excitement. Most of the black student union (BSU) from Roosevelt came, along with a smattering of other students and community members. Although it was early, the MLK marchers were greeted by a police escort and cheering from the general public.
Esmeralda Gaytan, a sophomore at Roosevelt, went to the Martin Luther King, Jr. march, feeling it was important for her to go to. “My favorite part of the march was that everyone was united [on the day of the march], like even though we didn’t know each other we were still together,” Gaytan says.
The march symbolized a way to express how far racial equality has come, but also how far it needs to go. She says it might not have raised much of a message for as many people, but
“I think it did for me. I don’t know about other people, but it did for me.”
Since the march did not have as many people as it could have, there wasn’t as big of ruckus surrounding it. Gaytan says that maybe “next year [more people] could come support us.”
However, the march did gain popularity as it went to Roosevelt, and ended with Jinji Amen, president of Roosevelt’s BSU, being filmed by KOMO 4 News. Roosevelt’s MLK march was successful in raising more awareness to what MLK did, and how race is still viewed in the United States.
photos by: Hannah Silver & Maya Williams
