On Monday, the City of Santa Clarita held its inaugural ‘Unity Walk,’ a gathering of political figures, Black community leaders and Santa Clarita citizens in Central Park to commemorate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Jan. 17, the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was commemorated by a Unity Walk held by the City of Santa Clarita in Central Park.
“It is my great honor to be here with you today to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, an inaugural event,” said Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste. “We have people here representing many facets of our community. It is this diversity, appreciation of one another and respect for all that makes our community so very special.”
See Related: Santa Clarita City Council Recognizes Martin Luther King Jr. Day
The event began at the Central Park flagpole at 9 a.m., featuring speeches by such figures as Mayor Weste, Dr. Cherise Moore, the NAACP’s Valerie Bradford and Pastor Anthony Davis. Also in attendance were Assemblymember Suzette Valladares and Councilmember Cameron Smyth.
“We are the third largest city in L.A. County,” Co-Chair of the City’s Human Relations Roundtable Dr. Cherise Moore said. “Looking forward, we want to make sure, and our city wants to make sure, that everyone is celebrated and feels welcome. So I want to thank our city council for starting this inaugural celebration in our community.”
Speeches were made with several speakers taking the opportunity to speak on the need to register to vote and make all voices heard in the United States, with a booth set up to allow all attendees to register.
Singer Anitra King-Ballou led attendees of the gathering in the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song often referred to as the Black national anthem.
“First of all, I’d like to acknowledge the Human Relations Roundtable, Mayor Weste and the City Council for recognizing the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” NAACP Branch President Valerie Bradford said. “When I was four-years-old, Dr. King delivered a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in front of 25,000 people. That speech was the ‘Give Us the Ballot’ speech. And it was a demand for voting rights. Fast forward 65 years, and we stand here still fighting for voting rights.”
The speech portion of the event concluded with a prayer from Pastor Anthony Dorris of Valencia’s Higher Vision Church.
“I’m so happy that we see all of these people, all of these faces, all of these races and creeds and cultures coming together,” Pastor Dorris said before the prayer. “I’m glad that I can show my children this unity.”
The event concluded with a quarter-mile walk through Central Park, with several community members raising signs in favor of Dr. King’s message of unity and political participation.
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