Martin Luther King Jr. Day march returns to West Point
Since 1995, the third Monday in January has been designated as a federal holiday recognizing the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact this civil rights leader had on the United States. The holiday is generally observed through the closing of some businesses, schools, and government buildings. However, for the city of West Point, and for Anna Jones of Davidson Chapel CME, the day's celebrations include much more.
“Dr. King had a dream,” said Jones. “We've come a long way, but we still have some strides to take and some hurdles to overcome. We do this to remind people that we still have a ways to go.”
Jones has been organizing celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the past 28 years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. For the past several years, Jones had to pivot and find other ways for the community to recognize the National Day of Service while practicing social distancing. However, this year, under the guidance of both Jones and Ashley Cox, the march returned to West Point, including participants walking and driving from Navistar to Mary Holmes College.
The program that followed the march involved speeches, singing, and a performance by the West Point High School drum line. The music played included “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Following these performances, words of inspiration were delivered by Richard Deanes, who encouraged the audience to remember the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We must live the dream that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed. That one day, we would all sit at the same table. That we will all play as children and work as men and women,” said Deanes. “West Point… our people have come a long way.”
As another way to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jones and Cox also coordinated a food drive, which has been a part of the celebration for the past three years. Jones created the annual food drive as a way to still acknowledge the Day of Service without exposing others to COVID-19. She now hopes that the food drive becomes a permanent part of the celebration, making Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed throughout the entire weekend. The food that was collected for the food drive will be donated to the Homestead project.
“We've been doing the food drive for the past three years. On Saturday, we collect food for the Homestead project food pantry. It's an act of service,” said Jones.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was also present at the Mary Holmes College gym, conducting a voter registration drive during the program. Caroline Poston, Chair of the Political Awareness and Involvement Committee of the Clay County Chapter discussed her reasoning behind conducting a voter drive on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“We always take the opportunity to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. day of service,” said Poston. “One of the things that he was advocating was service… So we set up and do a voter registration drive to make sure we get everyone who is not registered to vote to get registered and to remind people to go vote. So many of our fore-parents died without that right, and we want to remind people of its importance.”
In the future, Jones hopes to continue the Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations through the next generation. During the program, she acknowledged how important Cox was to her planning this year, and how she hopes that younger people will keep the tradition alive in the future.
“We have been trying to bring the next generation in… This year, I am blessed to have one lady… who helped me,” said Jones. “I am proud to announce that my co-coordinator was Ashley Cox. She is going to be my helper, and hopefully, in a couple of years, I'll be able to sit where you guys are sitting and watch this program happen.”