Dozens of community members took to the streets of Hermiston on a sunny Monday morning to remember the actions and to recite the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
The annual MLK Walk, sponsored by the Hermiston Cultural Awareness Club, began as always – with a walk through downtown Hermiston with participants singing and joining hands.
The walk culminated at the steps of Hermiston City Hall where City Manager Byron Smith gave some brief remarks, saying he had recently re-read King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He reminded the crowd that positive change requires action.
“In his letter, King recognized that good things don’t happen by chance,” said Smith. “We must take action.” He then quoted from King’s letter:
“Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”
Smith said that while there has been much progress in the civil rights movement since King’s time, there remains much more to do.
“People like you understand that we have to continue to make progress,” he said.
Smith also thanked the Hermiston Cultural Awareness Club for sponsoring the event and celebrating Hermiston’s diversity.
“It’s so good to live in Hermiston where we have this cultural diversity,” he said. “Our community is richer because of you.”
