MLK Day is dedicated to the life of Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr. Diverse communities across the world use presentations, videos and speeches as a way to remember his life, including a march that took place on Monday, Jan. 16 at Garfield High School in Seattle.

The MLK march has been an ongoing event for the past 40 years according to Program Manager DeLon Lewis. “When we have a group of people moving at the same time, there’s power in that,” says Lewis. To DeLon, MLK was a hero, showing a young Lewis how to stand up for what he believes in. “I’ve always wanted to change things around me for the better,” states Lewis. DeLon hopes the upcoming march in Seattle will leave students with confidence to “be a part of something bigger than yourself,” says Lewis.

MLK’s legacy is special to Terrell Glenn who is affiliated with Alpha 5 of fraternity inc. Glenn graduated from King’s Alma Mater, Morehouse College. “I enjoy getting together and doing community service, especially with the youth,” says Glenn. For Glenn, MLK day is a day for him to do that on a bigger scale. Glenn continues to practice King’s teachings by “treating others the way you want to be treated,”

For Glenn, coming together as a community by having a rally event shows exactly what MLK wanted, “it shows a passion for things that Martin Luther King really stood for,” Glenn said.

Clarence Thomas, a retired Oakland Longshoreman and former activist at San Francisco State spoke at the MLK March and Rally. “We(also) demanded greater representation from people of color,” says Thomas. This led to the Education of Opportunity program and taught Thomas that he could bring on change around him. “Dr. King was more than a civil rights leader, he was a visionary,” says Thomas. Thomas grew up in the Bay Area; during that time, he was unaware of civil disobedience and non-violence.

King was a man concerned with both civil rights and human rights. His past history of protesting human inequality transcends civil disobedience. For minority groups, his legacy continues to heavily influence human rights and economic justice. To Lewis, he was a hero, to Glenn, he is the light in darkness, to Thomas, he is a visionary. This is the legacy of Dr. King Jr.