Utahns celebrate King with speakers, parades, service

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SALT LAKE CITY -- Many Utahns gathered Monday night to march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Others answered a call to action from President Barack Obama earlier in the day by finding ways to serve the communities where they live.

Utahns march to remember King

More than four decades ago, King marched with other activists and intensified the civil rights movement. At Sugarhouse Park, Monday evening, Utahns followed those steps with a march and a rally.

"While it is so important to understand why we celebrate the dream today, it is even more critical to understand we are responsible for carrying out the dream," said Pastor Brigette Waters, with New Pilgrim Baptist Church.

**Who is… Martin Luther King Jr.?**

![](http://media.bonnint.net/slc/1717/171795/17179564.jpg)Martin Luther king Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil right activist in the 1950s and '60s. He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 initially aimed at ending segregation, then led the March on Washington in 1963, where he delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35, becoming the youngest recipient ever. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee by James Earl Ray and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.

Marchers headed to Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah. They concluded the evening with a Gospel Festival cultural celebration. In Provo, many in the community gathered for a candlelit walk from the BYU Bell Tower to the Wilkinson Student Center on the BYU campus. Fourth District Court Judge Lynn Davis has joined the march each of the last 15 years to honor King's legacy.

"[It's] just an incredible gift, as it relates to justice in our country, and changing attitudes, and changing hearts and souls in our country over a long period of time; just an incredible man, great gifts," Davis said.

The judge marched with his copy of the book "The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King." He suggests everyone read King's "I Have a Dream" speech each year on this day.

Over the years, the BYU gathering has grown, and marchers are glad to see the support.

"I'm here with my family just because of my heritage, and it means a lot to me," marcher Tenika Ray said.

Some spend holiday in service of others

Utahns celebrate King with speakers, parades, service

Earlier, students delved into service projects -- now a tradition on this holiday at BYU. Students and other volunteers grabbed hammers and saws and worked on a home in Provo for Habitat for Humanity.

"It's ‘give a day on' rather than ‘take a day off,'" said Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Coordinator Jayne Anderton. "It's a community outreach day that BYU is helping with on the Danielson home. We are working on siding and putting up the weather stripping."

Eighty-five to 90 percent of work on these Habitat homes comes from volunteer laborers. In this case, it was a challenging project.

"This house is a 120-year-old house, and we had to go in and gut it out and start from scratch," explained John Roberts, construction manager for Habitat for Humanity.

**What is… Martin Luther King Jr. Day?**

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was signed into law as a national holiday in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, and first observed in 1986, but wasn't officially recognized by all 50 states until 2000. In Utah, the holiday was known as "Human Rights Day" up until then. It is one of four [U.S. federal holidays](http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=9380712&pid=1) to commemorate an individual person and is observed on the third Monday of January each year.

It's a project the students believe is making a difference not only for themselves, but for the single mother and her children who will soon be moving in. "I'm volunteering because I think it's fun. I've done construction most of my life, and so I thought this would be a fun thing to do today," Jule Adams said.

Other Utahns also made this holiday a day of service. Volunteers at the Utah Food Bank delivered boxes of food to homebound elderly people in need across the Salt Lake Valley.

"The best way to unite all of us is by and through service," Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said.

NAACP holds annual MLK luncheon

The Utah chapter of the NAACP held its annual luncheon Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Meanwhile, the NAACP's Salt Lake branch celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a luncheon and address from the commander of the Tooele Army Depot.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's event on Monday was themed, "NAACP 100 Years: Bold Dreams, Big Victories."

The event also featured a speech by Col. Yolanda Dennis-Lowman, commander of the Tooele Army Depot. Dennis-Lowman assumed command of the depot in July 2008.

"All the things that Dr. King, and Ghandi, and many others have tried to do, the efforts continue," Dennis-Lowman said. "We haven't actually got to where we want to be as a country, as a nation and as a people, so I think that journey is still something that we're trying to attain."

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Story compiled with contributions from Jed Boal, Sam Penrod and The Associated Press.