The Lexington community celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during his namesake march on Monday, Jan. 20.
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Lexington outside the Central Bank Center for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Freedom March, while in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump was sworn in on Inauguration Day.
Valerie Scott, an attendee and march organizer in Mount Sterling, Kentucky and member of the Lexington-Fayette National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said the presidential inauguration coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day only gave her more motivation.
“It (the inauguration) gave us encouragement. It gave us strength,” Scott said. “We can overcome anything. Anything is possible, we all just have to work together.”
According to Scott, the march served as a moment for the community to unite against injustice.
“One of the most important things is that we’re not just walking, but we’re marching for a purpose. Not just marching to be seen but marching to be heard,” Scott said. “I really think it (the march) has brought us together here in Lexington.”
According to former member of the United States Army Reserve Timothy Mitchell, the turnout, while small, was still good to see.
“Even with the weather today, there is still a good turnout. Couldn’t ask for any better in almost subzero weather,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also said the march has always been a constant throughout his time in Lexington.
“I’ve participated in the event most of my life, starting as a teen into adulthood, and it means a lot,” Mitchell said. “I’m really appreciative of my city and the pride I have for it is one of the great things that I enjoy about Lexington.”
Mitchell said the pride and the community in Lexington is necessary for the march to occur or it won’t return.
“We still have to remember Dr. King and make sure we carry on that legacy,” Mitchell said.
Younger members of the community also attended the march, as students from the University of Kentucky participated in the event.
Mathias Barbee, a junior political science major at UK said it was important for young people to march too because of the impact their voices have when advocating for change.
“Especially drawing in a younger crowd with a lot of students, including some of my peers that are in school with me, that I saw out here today. I think it showed that there’s still a want and a need for change,” Barbee said.
Paulette Baker, a grandmother and mother said her reason for marching was for the safety and security of her own kids.
Baker said it was important for the city to come together to honor King’s message in order to create a place where love, peace and harmony are of the utmost importance.
According to Baker, King’s struggles with racial inequality were her other motivators for marching.
“This walk today in this cold weather is nothing compared to all the things that he went through for all people,” Baker said.
Lexington mother and march attendee, Kelly Stoops said that her personal reason for attending was representing her children during the freedom march to help improve the future for younger generations moving forward.
“We just have to continue spreading the message of Dr. King and continue spreading love and fighting racism and ignorance,” Stoops said. “I’m just marching for my children and their future and for all the children. My personal connection is just that I’m a mother.”