PHOENIX — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 94-years-old on Sunday.
Events celebrating his birthday are happening all over the nation and in the Valley in observance of the national holiday on Monday.
Despite rain in the forecast, a march and a festival are set to take place rain or shine.
“We can’t let the rain stop us,” said Marquis Scott. “We need to make sure people understand that when it rains, the things that took place in the 60s and 70s still had to take place no matter the weather.”
Scott is the MLK March coordinator of the Arizona Martin Luther King Celebration. He is urging people to go out and celebrate despite the gloomy elements.
During the iconic marches of the 60s, Dr. King and thousands of supporters endured rain, heat, and snow as they marched for freedom and equality.
A group of marchers was photographed dressed in long raincoats or improvised rain gear in Alabama during the Selma March, one of the most significant events of the civil rights movement. The group was drenched in water and walked through puddles but still continued.
Another group of marchers in Chicago continued on their path even when agitators threw rocks and firecrackers at them.
It is because of those scenes, that Scott said despite the unbearable conditions of those marches, people saw the bigger picture and still marched. Nowadays, given the state of division in the country, he said it’s once again the time to get a little drenched.
“When it was rain and wet, we still had to have justice. When it was rain and wet, we still have to have love. When it’s raining and wet, we still have to have passion and education and concern. So, all those things will be shared tomorrow,” he said.
The celebration will start at 9 a.m. with a march from Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church to Hence Park in downtown Phoenix. The festival will follow until 4 p.m.
The event is free and everyone is welcomed.
“It’s an opportunity to come together and share and talk and sing and to break bread and all those kinds of things,” Scott said. “But our hope is that it will continue on for weeks, months and years beyond that.”
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