Nearly 2,000 people took part in a two-and-a-half-mile march to commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and remember the work that is still left to be done.
As they marched through the streets of downtown Phoenix, several participants told The Arizona Republic the procession held extra significance in light of recent events in Minneapolis and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by businesses and the Trump administration.
This was the 40th anniversary of the Phoenix Martin Luther King Jr. march, said Valerie Churchwell, chair of the Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Awards Breakfast.
March’s roots trace back to pressure on Arizona’s government
The Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration hosted the march and festival on Jan. 19. The organization celebrates the legacy of King and promotes cultural diversity and unity, according to the organization’s website.
The march originally started “when the state didn’t want to have the march,” Churchwell said.
Former Gov. Evan Mecham in 1987 rescinded an executive order signed a year earlier by his predecessor, Bruce Babbitt. The order would have made Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday.
Before Babbitt’s executive order, the state Legislature had failed by one vote to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday.
Churchwell said the founders of the organization used the march as a way to pressure state lawmakers in designating Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was not recognized as a state holiday until 1992, nearly 10 years after former President Ronald Reagan signed it into law as a national holiday in January 1983, according to the African American Museum of Southern Arizona.
‘There is still a lot of work to do’
With a bullhorn in hand, Pastor Terry Mackey prayed over the march before it began at his church, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.
Mackey expressed thankfulness for a “wonderful day” as they remembered a “wonderful man.”
Even though at times it seems that King’s “dreams are becoming a nightmare,” Mackey prayed for faith to overcome and keep moving forward in making King’s dream a reality.
As he marched through Jefferson Street, Mackey told The Republic that “the fight still continues” after Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota.
The recent events in Minnesota showed that “there is still a lot of work to do,” Mackey said.
“So that’s why, for us, this march is significant. Not only to remember the dreamer but to remember that we still have work to do to make his dream in full reality,” Mackey said.
‘Can’t afford to go backwards’
The march featured several well-known political figures and activists, including Sen. Ruben Gallego, Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Attorney General Kris Mayes and long-time activist Earl Wilcox.
Hobbs said Arizona has “made a lot of progress” in bringing justice for everyone.
“I don’t think we can afford to go backwards,” Hobbs said in a news conference before the march.
In an interview before the march, Sen. Gallego also said there is still a lot of work to be done.
There is still racial discrimination, and the civil rights of Americans are still being violated every day, Sen. Gallego said.
“There’s people that are being killed by ICE officers because they felt that they were quote unquote threatened. So this is a very important time for everyone to gather and understand that we have to fight together to make sure that there’s less injustice in the world,” Sen. Gallego said.
Gallego said the civil rights movement was successful because of the peaceful protests led by King and former U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
“I think that’s what we have to continue doing, to show that ICE is being unjust to Americans and that it needs to be reined in,” Sen. Gallego said.
Participants hopeful for change
Greg Powell, 74, has participated in the march every year since he moved to Phoenix 22 years ago.
Given the “unfortunate way the country is currently going,” Powell said people must revisit what King stood for: “respect for all people regardless of race, creed, color.”
Powell said he feels sorry for the way the world has been left for his granddaughter.
“I mean people being pulled over just based on the color of their skin or whether they have an accent…all of that happened way back when I was a youngster,” Powell said.
Powell is hopeful for change.
“It means that we have to, as a people, have to be diligent and resist the kind of hatefulness that’s going on right now and do everything that we can to pull together…to support anybody because if they go after one, they will go after all of us eventually,” Powell said.
Uriah Marshall, a captain for the Phoenix Fire Department and president of the United Black Firefighters of Arizona, has been participating in the parade since he was in diapers.
Originally from South Phoenix, Marshall, 40, said his parents took him to some of the first Phoenix Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches.
Marshall now brings his wife and daughter to the parade.
The march is “super important” to Marshall because his parents grew up going to segregated schools. His father is from Austin, Texas, and his mother is from Gainesville, Fla.
Marshall’s parents taught him the importance of inclusiveness. He said he carried their lessons in his fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives through his role as a fire captain and head of the United Black Firefighters of Arizona.
“So for me, it’s not just a march, right? It’s a way of life. It’s the importance of giving back, the importance being all inclusive, the importance of diversity and understanding our past,” Marshall said.
Former The Arizona Republic Reporter Olivia Rose contributed to this reporting.