The Hamilton march started at Booker T. Washington Community Center and ended at St. Paul Church, and has been held for 39 consecutive years, and while Middletown cancelled its march due to the frigid temperatures, organizers said they never considered canceling.
“We have never let this stop,” said Pastor Victor Davis, who walked at the front of the line. “So the weather should not be a deterrent because our foreparents walked in all kinds of weather. When they were slaves, they ran away in all kinds of weather. We are still committed to the struggle. We are not going to let anybody stop us.“
Credit: nick graham
Credit: nick graham
One hour after the march started, Republican Donald Trump was sworn in as president and JD Vance, a Middletown native, was sworn in as vice president.
Davis, who lives in Hamilton and pastors in Chillicothe, said the leadership of the country and the state is extremely conservative.
“If we’re not careful, our civil rights will be taken from us,” he said. “This struggle is real.”
Another marcher, the Rev. James Wynn from Bethel Baptist Church, said he was impressed by the diversity of the Hamilton crowd.
“When I looked over my shoulders, I saw people collaborating together, singing together, enduring the cold together,” he said. “It made we see unity, see hope.”
No weather should keep people from celebrating King’s accomplishments, he said.
Credit: nick graham
Credit: nick graham
“Look at all that he stood for, fought for, died for,” Wynn said. “That’s worth every bit of us coming together to show unity as the dream is still alive. We are still searching for the betterment in our country, When I see this today it lets me know the dream is still alive.”
Liz Hayden, executive director of Neighborhood Services for the city of Hamilton, used the national holiday and the day off school to teach her two young children more about King.
“They have been asking a lot of question,” she said of her children, Bo, 7, a first-grader, and Jo, 5, a kindergartner. “This is a great opportunity to learn about a great American.”
Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller applauded the organizers and the marchers for showing their support for King. These type of events “build a tighter community, a tighter Hamilton, Ohio,” Moeller said. “It was cold, but it was the right thing to do.”
Credit: nick graham
Credit: nick graham
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