YAKIMA, Wash. — The city of Yakima celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its 41st annual peace walk, concluding a week of events honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Community partners, government agencies and leaders gathered for the event on Martin Luther King Boulevard. More than 100 community members participated in the walk, which was both a celebration and a call to action.
Anthony Peterson, CEO of Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Washington, co-chaired this year’s event. He emphasized the importance of coming together to effect change.
“Dr. Martin Luther King’s passion, focus and mission was nonviolent change. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t have to fight with other people. We can sit down at the table and have a conversation and appreciate differences,” said Peterson.
Peterson highlighted the significance of diversity and unity during the event.
“Having this big of turnout with the diversity is critical for us as a nation and local community to be able to move forward and create a better place to live. Our work is not done as a community. We know that there’s still division; we want to create a community where you can be a different race from somebody else, or a different sexual preference, or whatever the case may be, but you can at least talk about creating a better community,” he said.
Peterson also stressed that the dream King fought for should be remembered year-round.
“Making sure that people are self-aware, self-respected, and that they’re also taking action. And whether it’s big or small, whether somebody wants to run for office or somebody wants to volunteer at their local food bank, everybody has a role to play in creating the beloved community that Martin Luther King so passionately fought for,” said Peterson.
The peace walk served as a reminder of King’s vision for a beloved community where differences are respected and peaceful discussions are encouraged.
