ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — People gathered in Elizabeth City Monday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The event, which had the theme “Our Black Excellence is Everywhere” was led by Elizabeth City State University students, in an echo of the role young people played during the Civil Rights Movement.
“We’re all beating the college student stigma,” said Jay’Quahn Blackledge, president of the Student Government Association at ECSU. “We know we like to have fun, have parties, stuff like that, but we all know when it’s time to show up and show out for what really means something, we’re able to do that.”
The celebration kicked off at ECSU’s Roebuck Stadium with a rally and then a march to the city’s municipal building, where a formal program was held.
The program’s featured guest speaker was Marcus Bass, who is executive director of the North Carolina Black Alliance. He spoke about the historic significance of the march’s route.
“All the way through downtown, where once segregated lunch counters denied us service, now we can march hand in hand, in a city that is openly accepting and open for business for every race, shape and color,” he said.
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Bass said tackling issues like police brutality and access to the ballot will require renewed energy.
“We convene today to work across all of our differences, to pause to ensure that the torch is still lit,” Bass said.
Many of the speakers said that they hope that MLK Day is just the beginning of a call to action. They cited the upcoming elections as an example of people needing to get involved.
