This year’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk in Washington, D.C., saw what was possibly the largest turnout yet in the event’s four-year history.
At 9 a.m. on Jan. 18, hundreds of people gathered in the parking lot of Bethlehem Baptist Church to honor the legacy of Dr. King. An hour later, the crowd stepped off for a two-mile trek down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
The march was led by Chinese drummers from the Chinatown Community Cultural Center as it snaked through the winding streets of the southeast D.C. neighborhood of Anacostia toward its end destination at Covenant Baptist Church.
It was an unseasonably warm winter day, and the marchers were cordially received by members of the local community. From the sidewalks, front stoops of houses and façades of local businesses, countless neighborhood people cheered, clapped and honked their horns in solidarity.
“We are still fighting for our rights, equality and peace in the community.” said Antoniese Starks , a member of the D.C.-based nonprofit organization Peaceoholics. “This walk is important because it makes people aware and shows that there is still hope and, there are people who actually care.”
“This is really just about the walk—to recognize Dr. King on this day—on this street which was named in his honor,” said Denise Rolark-Barnes . (Washington Informer, Jan. 21)
Rolark-Barnes is the editor and publisher of the Washington Informer, a local African American newspaper founded 45 years ago by her father, Calvin Rowlark.
Rowlark-Barnes conceived of the idea for the Peace Walk four years ago after D.C. Council member Marion Barry moved the city’s annual Martin Luther King Parade to April. She, like many other activists and organizers in the city, felt it was important to honor Dr. King on the federally observed holiday near the time of his birthday.
The event was organized by a consortium of local activists and groups that came together to form the Coalition for Peace. Yango Sawyer of the Alliance for Concerned Men served as the emcee. Keith Silver, of the historic Southern Christian Leadership Council, spoke during the rally and helped lead the march.
Eugene Puryear spoke on behalf of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), which has been an active organizer and participant in the event since its inception in 2007.
“The fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk is one of the best examples of grassroots opposition emerging to philosophies of endless war, and the ANSWER Coalition is proud to stand with the Coalition for Peace for more just and peaceful society,” said Puryear.
