Virtual event to honor MLK to take place today
Charlese “Lisa” Harris started the local Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity March in 1999 after moving to the Yuba-sutter area from Washington in 1990.
Harris said her family had been a part of marches since she was a young girl and there being no local march was always on her mind – her children had noticed it as well.
“So nine years went by and God just dropped it in my spirit,” Harris said. “...
That year I told my mom ‘I think I want to start a march’ and my mom said ‘you can do it.’ Sure enough, I started putting things together.”
The local event each year celebrates King’s birthday – he was born on Jan. 15 and the national holiday is observed on the third Monday of January.
“It’s always been in my heart, I always had a love for Dr. King and what he stood for,” Harris said.
“... It was in my heart to bring the unity and the community together and just be able to celebrate the holiday.”
Now, Marcia Chambers, co-pastor at the Emmanuel Family Worship Center in Yuba City, coordinates the event and Harris has moved back to Washington.
However, Harris happens to be in the area and will be speaking during this year’s virtual event – due to the COVID-19 situation, there isn’t a march.
“This will be the first year we (aren’t) really able to march, it’s a little different,” Harris said. “At least the holiday and paying homage to Dr. King is still going to go on and we’re going to do our best to honor the holiday and his birthday.”
She said she wants to talk about how they got to this point as far as the marches and how the march brings the community together.
“(I) just kind of want to talk about bringing the community together and the country together, what we do as citizens and that we are entitled to our free speech and that we are entitled to live the life everyone is entitled to live,” Harris said. “...
I just want to let people know that I’m grateful for the coordinator and the members of the march foundation that are continuing this dream here.”
The 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. local event will take place today (Saturday) at 10 a.m. via Zoom.
To join the event, visit zoom.us, click “Join a Meeting” and enter the meeting ID – 833 0444 1427 – and the passcode is 874696.
MLK Day closures
– Local, state and government offices, banks and post offices may be closed as well as some businesses on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
– Yuba-sutter Transit will not operate any services in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18. The transit’s business offices will also be closed. Normal service will resume on Tuesday. For more information, call YubaSutter Transit at 742-2877.