SALT LAKE CITY — In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was heard on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. On Monday, that same speech was read by Utahns inside the state capitol, as they celebrated the legacy of the civil rights leader.
The Beloved Community MLK Day Celebration welcomed people into the Capitol rotunda to honor and remember Dr. King. But while the day was about celebration, those who participated wanted to bring people together, to unify voices across the state.
“What we see happening now in our nation today is terrifying,” said Oscar T. Moses with Calvary Baptist Church. "And we cannot say, ‘Well, it’s not me today,’ because you don’t know who it’s going to be, come tomorrow. Especially, hear me real good. Especially if the 14th Amendment is attacked.”
With the current political climate, many people told FOX 13 News that MLK Day is more important than ever to come out and speak up.
“Right now, there’s just not a lot of hope. And there’s a lot of division. I think building bridges and coming together is always true every day, but it’s still good to remind ourselves of it today,” Jo Leak from Murray said.
Leak and her friend, Marsha Robertson, said they are trying to focus on the good and hope for a brighter future.
“It’s important for us to come together and just see everyone as equals and focus on the positivity of just being good humans and maybe letting that negative stuff not rule our everyday lives,” Robertson said.
After a mile walk from the Capitol to the Eccles Theatre, a community choir concert was held, with performances by the Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir, Calvary Baptist Church Choir, and Kourel Touba Salt Lake at the Regent Street Black Box.
People said that MLK Day is not just a day off, but instead a "day on" filled with service.
The celebration's organizer, and founder of Beloved Community, Cleopatra Balfour, said they ended the day with a service project, focusing on those who are housing and food insecure.
“A huge tenet of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was really service to your neighbor, to your fellow man," Balfour said. "The work that’s being done is being able to advance those who are less fortunate."
