Unity Day will bring a message of hope to Tuscaloosa, organizers say

The observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday in Tuscaloosa will provide the opportunity to celebrate unity while honoring the life and teachings of the late civil rights leader, said the Rev. James Williams.

Unity Day, Tuscaloosa's annual celebration of King's birthday, will be held on Monday. The day's events, organized by the Tuscaloosa chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will include a Unity Day breakfast, march and a mass rally.

Organizers said they are expecting a larger turnout at this year's event.

Williams, who serves as president of the Tuscaloosa chapter of the SCLC, sai the Unity March and mass rally will allow participants to bring attention to local and national issues, such as equality, injustice and racism.

During the Unity March and mass rally, participants are expected to bring attention to local and national issues, such as equality, injustice and racism, said Williams, president of the Tuscaloosa chapter of the SCLC.

"We'll be speaking our concerns on where we are and how we are still seeking our rights in this country," said Williams.

Although there has been some progress, Williams said he believes there is still work to be done.

"We still have some struggles to overcome," said Williams.

"That's why we continue to march. We want some equal rights. That's all we're asking for (and) that's what we continue to march for," he said.

Unity Day activities will begin at 7 a.m. Monday at Beulah Baptist Church, 3100 25th St., with a Unity Day breakfast.

Around noon, participants will line up for the Unity March, which will begin at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and end at Tuscaloosa City Hall, 2201 University Blvd. Participants must be lined up by 11:30 a.m.

A mass rally will be held at 5 p.m. at First African Baptist Church, 2621 Stillman Blvd., to conclude the Unity Day celebration. The Mass Rally speaker will be the Rev. Vernon Swift of Elizabeth Baptist Church.

More:March, concert and more will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Tuscaloosa

Williams has served as the Tuscaloosa SCLC president for two years, but he said has been a part of the organization since the 1960s. He grew up in Demopolis and has lived in Tuscaloosa since 1970. He now serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Newbern in Hale County, which borders Tuscaloosa County to the south.

Williams said he hopes participants who come to Unity Day will take away a message of hope.

"(We) believe and hope that 2023 will be the year there's definite progresses for African-Americans," Williams said.

"We expect positive things to happen because there's too many negative things going on in our country, especially among our people," he said.

King, who was born in 1929 in Atlanta, rose to prominence as a civil rights leader after he moved to Alabama. While serving as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, King led a series of highly publicized civil rights campaigns in between 1955 and 1965 in Alabama.

In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in the struggle for racial equality.

King was killed by an assassin on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee

On Nov. 2, 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill creating a national holiday to honor King after the bill was passed by Congress. The holiday was observed for the first time on Jan. 20, 1986.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa to hold march, rally for Martin Luther King Jr. Day