Events including a community dialogue, youth event, opportunity fair and workshops culminated Monday with a rally and march from Garfield High School as the Seattle MLK Jr. Coalition hosted the 41st march - this year, themed "Dream Unfinished."
"There is still a lot of work to be done in our backyard - the increase in gun violence, police brutality that's taken place across our nation, civil unrest, what's happening over in the Middle East," said Shaude Moore, chair of the coalition. "When Dr. Martin Luther King performed his 'I Have a Dream' speech, he knew after that and beyond his passing there was still going to be work left to do. And we're still not there."
Coalition webmaster Abiel Woldu said the in-person gathering was a chance to find community and inspire future work.
"It's a day on, not a day off," Woldu said. "To be able to see the community that's been harmed by systematic oppression and come together, think about problems, find creative solutions to do that, whether it be through our workshops where people are able to talk about what they want to learn about, or careers and find roles and jobs marketed to people who look like us."
Speakers remembered the past - including the first MLK Jr. march in Seattle, which led to a movement that resulted in the naming of a road and renaming of King County. They took stock of the present, discussing issues such as poverty, police brutality, gun violence and war in the middle east. Finally, they heard from youth voices- which spoke about less-known topics in Black history, the need for more Black-owned businesses, and violence against young Black lives. Organizers say education was a key component of this year's events.
The program is driven by donations and the work is done by volunteers. To donate or get involved in next year's event or the work of the coalition throughout the year, click here.
"We need more hands, we need more work, we need more voices, we have an amazing internship program going into its fifth year," Moore said. "We're going to continue that legacy moving forward, we're gonna be launching a sponsorship program so we can support young people going into college."