Dozens brave cold for MLK March

LAURINBURG — Escorted by the Laurinburg Police Department and the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, a parade of marchers traversed down South Main Street Monday in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on his namesaked day.

With Shenia Pemberton, Phyllis Elliott, Eddie Mae Eastling and Connie Monroe tasked with holding the banner, the march began at the Badcock Funiture store on Atkinson Street, segwayed through West Church Street and continued the long stretch down South Main Street to the Bright Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church where a program was held featuring a musical performance by The Thomas Brothers.

The event was an end to a series of events held through Scotland County over the weekend in honor of the late Rev. King, including a celebration at Crosspoint Church, a Unity Service at Laurinburg First Baptist Church and a Prayer Breakfast held at South Johnson Elementary School.

The president of the Scotland County Branch of the NAACP said that in preparation for Monday’s march, there was an initial fear that the cool temperatures would hinder turnout.

“Today’s turnout has been pretty great compared to what we thought the weather was going to be,” Herman Tyson said Monday. “The Lord has blessed us to be a little warmer than what was predicted by the weatherman so we are thankful and honored that those citizens here in Scotland County and other surrounding counties have come out to support the work of Scotland County NAACP in our endeavors to celebrate the 95th birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr.).”

Adrian Gay, the branch secretary of the Scotland County Branch of the NAACP and co-chair of the planning committee for the march, said that the MLK March has become a tradition for because of its occurrence in Scotland County over the years.

“This has been going on as far as I can remember, at least 20 years in counting, that we have this annual program for our organization,” Gay said. “It is basically just following the trend of what has been set before us from our past presidents and past organizers and committee members.”

Gay said that many fascets do come in to play to modernize the march throughout the years. This year’s marchers were also led by the Creative Expression Dance Academy.

“Every year we try to do something different with our march and our march and our parade,” Gay said.

Bringing the message this year was keynote speaker Pastor Micheal Leak of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.

“It’s been our goal to get local leaders, community leaders and pastors, their perspective on Dr. Martin Luther King and his several speeches that he did and to relay it to us and to convey it to us so that we will be able to strengthen our community and be able to grow our community,” Gay said.

Overall, Tyson said that the annual march is a “great event” for the community.

“I think it’s something that we do because we want to promote unity and love and servanthood and that’s what Dr. King stood for … We want to promote that here in our community and county,” Tyson said.

The road to Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On Nov. 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture website. The legislation to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first introduced just four days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Still, it would take 15 years of persistence by civil rights activists for the holiday to be approved by the federal government and an additional 17 years for it to be recognized in all 50 states. Today, it is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.