The fourteenth annual Martin Luther King (MLK) Walk-a-thon took place on this past January 15, 2007 . As you may already know, this event is a very opportunity for people of all ages and nationalities come together and walk from Stratton Center to the Martin Luther King Jr. Statue at City Hall. This event has fostered many friendships every year as the walkers learn more about the people around them. It is quite an experience, to walk down the streets of downtown Riverside among many people you know and a much greater number whom you do not, but feeling welcome and at peace; to see and hear our community participating in the walk together and moving as one is a very unique feeling which I will remember for the rest of my life.

The participants each came on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to celebrate his contributions to the world we all share. They also each donated ten dollars or more to the Riverside African American Historical Society, which will be used in maintaining the upkeep of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue, and in supporting the Clarke and Grier college scholarships. Walkers received free T-shirts and free tickets to the MLK day Rock-a-thon, connecting the young people's interests to the respect and appreciation they displayed by attending on their day off from school.

There are many reasons that young people have for attending this event, but perhaps the most important and least recognized is the simplest reason: to participate in the community and connect with the past. Through this event, students can walk to remember, and to keep Martin Luther King's dream alive.

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Black Voice News

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