'We are greater together': South Phoenix school district revives MLK Day tradition

Before Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was designated an official Arizona holiday in the early 1990s, Terrance Kennedy would march in an annual parade in south Phoenix to campaign for the state to recognize the day.

At the time, Kennedy was a student in the Roosevelt Elementary School District, which serves students across south Phoenix.

“It felt like we were a part of getting this holiday on the calendar and getting it recognized in the state of Arizona,” he said. “That really meant a lot.”

The Roosevelt Elementary School District parade for MLK Day that Kennedy was part of was once an annual tradition. It began in the 1980s as a campaign for Arizona to create an MLK Day holiday and later became a celebratory parade that featured student marching bands, according to a 2005 Arizona Republic article.

On Saturday, Jan. 13, two days before King’s birthday and nearly 60 years after he was assassinated, the district and several community partners revived that celebration.

Community members and Roosevelt alumni, students, parents and staff gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to celebrate the legacy of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader who fought against racist segregation in the U.S.

Though it was historically a parade, the district’s MLK Day celebration changed over time, said Aimee Marques, the principal of King Elementary School.

“Due to COVID restrictions, the event was put on pause,” Marques said. “Now, we’re trying to take it back into a celebration that the community can really be proud of … and make sure that we do it justice.”

It's an effort to honor not only the legacy of King but also of the south Phoenix community, she said.

Kennedy is now an employee in the Roosevelt Elementary School District’s child nutrition services department and interim pastor at Union Institutional Baptist Church. He returned on Saturday to participate in the relaunching of the event that was such an important part of his childhood.

“It’s always been an event filled with love and peace and joy,” he said. “It’s still the same feel.”

A revival of a decades-old tradition

Saturday’s MLK Day celebration began with a parade of about 100 people that started outside King Elementary School, a tribute to the parade that historically took place.

When attendees returned back to the school, students made artwork, had their faces painted and played double dutch, while a DJ and food trucks provided the music and food. Community and city organizations shared resources, many of them relating to health and education.

“MLK was really about the concept of a beloved community, and making sure that we actually utilize all the resources that a community brings together to work together collectively as a village,” said Thomas Claiborn, a community member and one of the event’s organizers. “So, this is a great weekend to be able to implement that.”

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For some alumni of the district, the event was a meaningful return to the school where they grew up. James Carrethers recalled celebrating MLK Day as a student at King Elementary by releasing balloons with notes that began with “I have a dream” and watching the animated movie “Our Friend, Martin.”

Celina Meadows was a fourth grader at King Elementary in 1994 when she was chosen as the MLK Queen, part of a tradition where the school recognized a student from each grade who represented King’s message — unity and kindness, she said. She described celebrating MLK Day at that same location 30 years later as “surreal.”

As a middle schooler at Roosevelt's Percy L. Julian School down the street, Meadows played the flute for the marching band in the MLK Day parade each year. She recalled the streets being shut down and everyone coming out of their houses to watch.

“It was a big community event,” Meadows said. “I’m really hoping that we can get back there.”

For Dana Burns, a community member and one of the organizers of the event, Saturday was a way to honor the legacy of King and the civil rights movement — a legacy that still “resonates so heavy in our lives today,” she said.

“One of the songs that they would sing as they were marching was ‘We Shall Overcome,’” Burns said. “What we’re going to be showing is that … just like Dr. King, we’re getting out there and we’re going to overcome every obstacle, every challenge, barrier, every piece of racism. We’re going to show that we are greater together.”

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Elementary school students celebrate King's legacy

Jasemin Bivins, a parent of two children in the Roosevelt School District who just recently moved to Phoenix, said the event was the first time her kids had the opportunity to be part of a celebration for MLK Day.

“This is so beautiful,” Bivins said. “I just feel like we should embrace what MLK fought for. … I’m hoping that one day they’ll do this with their kids.”

Her daughter, Aaliyah Bivins, 9, said she was excited to celebrate MLK’s birthday because he helped end segregation. She was also excited to get a King Elementary school spirit t-shirt.

Burns, one of the event's organizers, hoped that the event showed kids “what community and uniting is really about … who Dr. King was, and what he stood for,” she said.

Daylani Beltran, 6, a first grader at King Elementary, said she wanted to celebrate MLK Day because “he was changing the rules … for all the kids to stay in the classroom together" and play together.

Nevaeh Muñoz, 8, a second grader at King Elementary, wanted to celebrate the day because King thought “that other people shouldn’t be judged by their skin color,” she said.

Cesar Jimenez, 11, a sixth grader at Julian, wanted to attend the event to "get some information about Martin Luther King" and “learn how he changed the world,” adding that he thought King “helped a lot of people,” he said.

Reach the reporter at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Roosevelt Elementary School District revives MLK Day parade