The legacy of Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Junior was celebrated in Fayette County on Monday. This year marked the 50th-anniversary commemoration in downtown Lexington.
A move this year from morning to afternoon only served to grow the size of the group marching down Vine and Main Streets. Diane Johnson, who lives a few blocks away, said the significance doesn’t change.
“Oh, it’s very important that we remember what Martin Luther King Junior had for us to do and it’s still a whole lot more work to be done/”
Paula Mertens along with several others from the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass participated.
“What could we do better as a community?....just coming together. Coming together. Loving each other.”
Jo Hayden is a Lafayette High School Black Student Union sponsor and a teacher.
“We need more classes that are geared toward minorities. To get them interested in learning. Interested in being at school. Lafayette has become very diverse over the years,” said Hayden.
During the program inside Central Bank Center, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said her city’s Dr. King remembrance is one of the longest-running programs in the U.S. She read a proclamation that recognized the early organizers like Chester Grundy, who’s been involved since 1974.
