(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Despite freezing temperatures across Southern Colorado on Monday, Jan. 15, the community gathered for the annual Colorado Springs Martin Luther King All People’s Breakfast and Unity March.
Colorado College continued its tradition of hosting a community-wide celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gathering in-person for the first time in three years.
“Let’s unite in recommitting ourselves to the noble pursuit of Dr. King’s dream, a vision of equality for all,” said Mayo Davidson, host of the event.
On what would have been Dr. King’s 95th birthday, the community commemorated the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader with the theme, ‘It Starts with Me: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems.’
In light of this theme, a local teen shared his vision for equity and inclusion in the city of Colorado Springs.
“In the words of Dr. King, ‘darkness cannot drag out darkness, only light can do that,'” said Deshawn Allison, a Widefield High School student. “Hate cannot drag out hate, only love can do that.”
The civil rights leader may be most remembered for his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ address. He also participated in the Selma March which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, legislation that helped African Americans exercise their right to vote.
Colorado Senator Tony Exum gave Monday’s keynote speech and presented a poll tax receipt given to him by a constituent who had to pay to vote in Mississippi in Jan. 1964.
“They also had to take a bias test,” Senator Exum explained. “People fought, they demonstrated, they died giving black folks the right to vote. My challenge for you today is don’t look for excuses not to vote, but look for excuses to vote.”
State Senator Exum believes the injustices that Dr. King fought in the 1960s are still being fought today.
“The title of Dr. King’s last book published in 1968, Where Do We Go From Here? continues to be his personal challenge to me, to you, to all of us,” Senator Exum said. “Take action now personally and get your representatives to do the same. Yet I still hear from people the common complaint: ‘Why bother? My vote doesn’t matter.’ Here’s how we know that’s not true—if your vote didn’t matter then certain people wouldn’t be working so hard to take away your right to vote.”
Monday’s event celebrated our community coming together to promote nonviolence and to recommit ourselves to serving the region through inclusion and mutual respect.
