Candlelight vigil held to remember King
More than 50 people came to the one-block walk.
Published Jan. 20, 2009
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Columbia resident Annette Ingram walks to St. Luke United Methodist Church during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day candlelight march on Monday. "We've gone a long way," Ingram said about the inauguration of President Barack Obama. "God has got us. It feels great."
Memory, joy and optimism stretched from Park Avenue to East Ash Street, the route of a vigil candle walk in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.
A crowd of what eventually grew to be more than 50 people turned out for the one-block walk.
Columbia Parks and Recreation and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Association of Black Studies at MU co-sponsored the vigil, and Bill Thompson, a spokesman for the Blind Boone Heritage Foundation in Columbia, organized it.
The walk began at 6:30 p.m. with everyone singing "We Shall Overcome" and ended a block later at the Saint Luke United Methodist Church. Volunteers handed out programs to the event’s speakers and proceedings. Printed on the front of the flyer was a painting of President Barack Obama and in the foreground, a somewhat larger likeness of King with the title “Dream, Hope, Change.”
Indeed, it was only appropriate that in less than 24 hours the first black president would be sworn, a result of the efforts of King to end racial injustice. Addressing the crowd, Rev. Raymond Hayes recalls watching King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“I remember watching King’s speech, wondering if that dream would ever be possible,” Hayes said. “Tomorrow, that dream will have come full circle when Barack Obama will be sworn in. Each and every one of us owes something to Dr. King.”
Also speaking at the event was Kelvin Simmons, commissioner of administration for Gov. Jay Nixon. Simmons was Nixon’s first appointee to his administration and was also the first black director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
“Dr. King went to great lengths to encourage unity and understanding among all colors,” Simmons said. “His legacy and message continue to serve as an example of what needs to be achieved today.”
Anderson said the day was also declared “Martin Luther King Jr. Recognition Day” by the city of Columbia. Anderson, who announced the declaration on behalf of Mayor Darwin Hindwin, recognized King for his “immeasurable contribution to the African American people.”
“We all have high hopes for the future of our country, and it is thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. that we are able to hope,” he said.
