Photos by Nikiana Medansky
The Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee hosted the MLK March on Monday morning in honor of King’s 1968 demonstration.
Hundreds of participants attended the event, which started at 9 a.m. The march began at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, on the corner of 14th and Jefferson streets, and ended at Margaret T. Hance Park.
There, a festival lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event featured state officials, music and dance performances, food and drink, and tables of organizations — like Miss Black Teen Arizona — providing information to interested visitors.
Mikayla Lupampa, the 2014-2015 Miss Black Teen Arizona, participated in her first march this year.
“Since I have been Miss Black Teen Arizona, this event was introduced to me, and now I’m hooked,” she said. “I’m going to be here next year and the year after.”
During the festival, she and her fellow pageant winners sat at a table to provide information about the organization and to sign autographs.
Fellow first-time marcher Sherif Cobb said she also planned on attending next year. Cobb said that she believes that the march is not just honoring King’s legacy but is about the freedom of being able to walk and be with others.
Long-time participant Alejandro Menchaca, who has marched in multiple events, thought of the march differently than Cobb.
Menchaca said he attended the event to show solidarity with other movements that are happening around the country.
“This [march] was not as politicized as I was hoping it was, as I think Dr. Martin Luther King would want it to be,” Menchaca said. “I think it could be much more politicized, given recent events.”
Contact the reporter at Nikiana.Medansky@asu.edu
