Dozens brave cold for MLK march

CLOVIS — More than four dozen braved the bracing cold Monday morning to march through Clovis to honor a civil rights icon whose legacy holds strong almost 50 years after his death.

It was in the low 30s at 9 a.m. at Potter Park when a small crowd convened for the 26th annual "Symbolic Walk & Rally" to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday recognizing his Jan. 15 birthday.

"When that chill sets in, let's just remember the warmth of why we're out here today," said Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, standing with City Commissioner Fidel Madrid and organizers from Clovis' Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

An hour later, after a march of more than a mile and with participants assembled for the rally at the First Church of God in Christ, Lujan remarked, "I never appreciated how warm the seats were in church."

The audience agreed. During the walk from the park to the church, following a route with police escort up Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and across Cesar Chavez Drive, cold winds tried the balance of those carrying signs and holding banners. Yet the group persisted, singing "We Shall Overcome," and keeping in mind the greater message of the occasion.

"If it's something you believe in, you sacrifice," Diane Smith said while walking. "He did it for the benefit of all people, not just for some."

Smith said she hoped children would continue to learn more about the impact of the civil rights leader and reverend from Atlanta.

"I would like to see more of the young people learn about him," she said. "They get the day off, they get to march, but why?"

Deede Wolf said she brought her child on the march for exactly that reason.

"It's a great chance for me to show my son what it is to be a part of something bigger than ourselves," she said. "Today we have people of all different religions and backgrounds walking together."

It was that unity that Robert Haggerty found most inspiring during the march.

"When you see the love of all of us together, I love that," he said.

Leonard Waites, executive director of the state's Martin Luther King Jr Commission, said during the rally that the groups participating in Clovis and Portales for the holiday had energy that rivaled the crowds of more than 3,000 in Albuquerque during the weekend.

The featured speaker at the Clovis rally was Pastor Perry L Johnson Sr. from Shekinah House of Praise, which also supplied its choir for the event.

"I think today was a good crowd in spite of the weather," said Clovis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Commission President Joyce Pollard. "I'm sure it was, because they were out there marching for a good cause, symbolic of the original march (from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965). I think that's why the people were there. Just to honor him, just to celebrate King and the things that he's done."

Pollard said Monday evening she also attended a similar march that started at 5:30 p.m. in Portales, with a comparable turnout. The holiday programs in the area kicked off Monday morning in Portales with a 7 a.m. breakfast at Eastern New Mexico University.

At the rally in Clovis, participants young and older agreed in the power of programming that brings people together.

"He made the world a better place so people can come together now," said fourth-grader Kiya Ross of her reasons for attending the walk.

"It was too cold, but I still showed up," said Larry Varnado Sr. "I've been doing this for years. It's important, to me."