MLK Day marchers reminded King was an agitator at heart whose work is not done

Bill Bush, The Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read
Aretha Anderson, right, of Columbus' North Side, smiles while looking at her 8-year-old grandson, Royal Simons, on Monday during Columbus' 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. march. “I think it’s important for all nationalities to join together and to make this a better place in life,” Anderson said.
Aretha Anderson, right, of Columbus' North Side, smiles while looking at her 8-year-old grandson, Royal Simons, on Monday during Columbus' 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. march. “I think it’s important for all nationalities to join together and to make this a better place in life,” Anderson said.

While most of the nation took the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday off as a day to relax, hundreds of people braved a chilly, wet breeze to participate in the annual King remembrance march Monday through Columbus' historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

The march concluded at the landmark Lincoln Theater, where speakers reminded those in attendance that, despite progress, King's work isn't done.

While many residents spent the holiday living in a Columbus of opportunity, quality education, nutritious food, secure health care, social justice and equality, thousands of other poor residents spent the holiday living in "the other Columbus," the one King fought for, said keynote speaker Luke Fedlam, a partner with the Porter Wright law firm.

Columbus City Council member Shayla Favor closes her eyes Monday outside the Lincoln Theatre for a moment of silence for Columbus youth who have died of violence. The moment of silence was held as part of the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. march.
Columbus City Council member Shayla Favor closes her eyes Monday outside the Lincoln Theatre for a moment of silence for Columbus youth who have died of violence. The moment of silence was held as part of the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. march.

Like several speakers, Fedlam wondered aloud what King would say if he were in the theater with the group, on a day when the ambitions of the non-violent King for what the nation could someday be are recounted, as the nation remembers his work and assassination in Memphis in 1968.

"It would be failing Dr. King and failing each other in this room tonight if we didn't also address the other Columbus," Fedlam said.

That other city is a place where over 20% of the children under age 5 are living in poverty and thousands of people experience homelessness, Fedlam said. A place where affordable housing remains a challenge, the infant mortality rate for Black babies is two-and-a-half times that of white babies, and "a city that has not been immune to the shooting of unarmed Black men by the police," Fedlam said.

While the contemporary image of King is one of a calm, soft-spoken leader, Fedlam said that belies his radical approach to compelling societal change and racial justice. "Let's be clear: Dr. King was an activist. Dr. King was a non-conformist," who was constantly challenging the status quo, he said.

Jasmine Davis, 9, reminded the gathering that King was an agitator — and she was, too.

"I agitate against bullies who try to make my friends cry," said Jasmine, a fourth-grader at Columbus School for Girls. "I agitate against my teacher when she uses painful sarcasm that hurts my feelings. When I get older, as a changemaker, I will agitate for equal pay for women," and also for Black voices to be heard, like George Floyd's voice when he said "I can't breathe."

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther encouraged the crowd outside of the Lincoln Theatre on Monday for the city's Martin Luther King Jr. march to stand together in seeking a better tomorrow.
Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther encouraged the crowd outside of the Lincoln Theatre on Monday for the city's Martin Luther King Jr. march to stand together in seeking a better tomorrow.

Before the march, as the crowd gathered outside the theater, Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther told the crowd that citizens must commit to each other and the community to continue to seek justice, and help ensure "a bright future for everyone." Some in the crowd were holding signs saying "Columbus Police murdered Donavan Lewis" and "Justice for Sinzae," references to the fatal police shooting of Lewis during a raid to serve an arrest warrant and the fatal shooting last October of 13-year-old Sinzae Reed. A suspect was originally charged with murder, but that charge was dropped so prosecutors and police could review additional evidence after the suspect claimed self-defense.

"We stand here together, no matter our differences," U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty said, adding that King would be proud "that at this hour we stand in unity."

Hundreds of Columbus residents walk together down East Spring Street during the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. march Monday evening.
Hundreds of Columbus residents walk together down East Spring Street during the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. march Monday evening.

Ginther, Beatty, Columbus City Council members and others led the march behind a banner with King's words: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that."

This year also marked the first that indoor events celebrating MLK Jr. Day were held in Columbus since COVID-19 struck in early 2020.

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

Kathy Burgess holds a “Justice for Sinzae Reed” sign during the city's Martin Luther King Jr. march outside of the Lincoln Theatre Monday.
Kathy Burgess holds a “Justice for Sinzae Reed” sign during the city's Martin Luther King Jr. march outside of the Lincoln Theatre Monday.

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: MLK was an "agitator" who would push for social justice, speakers say