Doctor King honored Monday

By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — Gallup and Window Rock are both having events to mark the birth date of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. Both events include a march in commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where King gave his now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Both events are asking participants to bring nonperishable food, which will be distributed to those in need.

The Gallup event has been happening annually for more than 10 years, and attendance has run as high as 500 people, according to event organizer Mona Frazier.
“It’s so overwhelming how all of them come together as one,” Frazier said.

The event begins with the Circle of Prayer at 12:30 p.m. at the Gallup Cultural Center. Frazier says the inter-faith ceremony brings together people of all faiths around Gallup, including Baha’i, Baptist, Muslim, and Jewish faiths.

That will be followed by a march to Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center. A bus will be provided for those who would have trouble making the 3-mile walk.

An awards ceremony will be held at the recreation center, which will include music and an awards ceremony for those who have provided outstanding service to the community. The Rev. Ruth Gilbert will also be there to speak on King’s struggle and its relevance to the Native American and other communities in and around Gallup.

Sonlatsa Jim-Martin, coordinator of the Window Rockevent, said she hopes to make the holiday a “day on, not off.” She said that the event is free and a good way to do something positive with the holiday.

“The event is a forum to bring awareness of Dr. King and how his work applies to the Native American community. The Civil Rights Movement not only made changes for African Americans but for all people of color,” she said.

The event will begin with a public forum, which includes several presentations and speakers from around the community on a wide range of topics from Native American religious freedom to domestic violence prevention.

The event will also include a march with a drum escort to Veteran’s Memorial Park. Jim-Martin hopes the event will draw a large crowd.

“It’s going to be cold, but it’s a great way as Native Americans to recognize Dr. King and the sacrifices of those in the civil rights movement,” she said.

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Doctor King honored Monday

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