CHRYSTAL MCCONNELL/Arizona Daily Wildcat Mayor Bob Walkup addresses a crowd of marchers before the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day March yesterday morning.

Over 500 members of the UA community, representing a multitude of groups on campus, ventured out in the rain yesterday morning to celebrate the life of slain civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The march began in front of Old Main on the UA Mall, and the crowd picked up more people en route to Reid Park, where the celebration of King's life continued until 4 p.m.

The year 2003 marks the 10-year anniversary since Arizona voters passed legislation to recognize the MLK holiday, but UA students and faculty have been marching in King's honor for 16 years.

Although attendance has been higher in previous years, the same sentiment and respect was still present, many marchers said.

"Martin Luther King has become a symbol of justice of all kinds," said UA President Pete Likins. "In his time it was a racial struggle of black and white issues, but Dr. King dealt with issues that dealt with all of humanity. That is why King's speeches still hold true today, they were part of a grander vision ÷ that is why they are still valid."

The march also gave prominent members of the community the opportunity to publicly reflect on the accomplishments of Dr. King.

"This march is always important, especially at this junction in history because of the situation of war and the other issue of education. Opportunity, diversity and inclusion are all hallmarks of Dr. King ÷ they are especially important now," Congressman Raul Grijalva said.

Mayor Bob Walkup, Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias, City Council Member Steve Leal and Richard Fimbres, the head of League of United Latin American Citizens, also gave brief speeches on behalf of Martin Luther King Jr. and his cause.

The speeches connected Dr. King's struggles with those today, in particular, the controversy that surrounds affirmative action. Many of the speeches ended by urging those in attendance to carry on the efforts of the civil rights movement.

Dr. King's message and legacy inspired a number of different emotions among the people at the walk, each representative of various facets of their lives.

"There are really many symbolic actions that you get to see, everyone comes together and celebrates what Dr. Martin Luther King was about," said Rudy B. Mcormick, coordinator of new start freshman programs.

A myriad of ethnic groups joined the celebration with praise, entertainment and speech, commonly expressing the idea that King did not only fight for the rights of blacks, but all races.

"(The march is) crucial because it represents the sentiment that all ethnic communities should embrace a sentiment of pride, of diversity and equality," said Nita Umashankar, a molecular and cellular biology marketing senior, and 2002-2003 Homecoming Queen.

The memory of King's legacy helped many of the students who participated feel closer to their fellow students during the march, and they hoped to carry that emotionwith them.

"Its great to see a lot of the clubs and organizations come out and be unified it shows unification of the student body on campus," said Sarah Miranda, a Kappa Delta Chi sophmore.

However, others were concerned that there was not a larger population of students in attendance.

"It's important, but it should be more important, everyone should be here," said David Jimenez, a junior majoring in Spanish.

The Martin Luther King Jr. march celebrated the legacy left by the civil rights leader. It served as a reminder that the struggle and fight for equality is far from over and that it was up to the student body to carry on that fight.

The Martin Luther King Jr. center on campus will continue to honor King's memory with various activities throughout the rest of the year.

February marks the beginning of National Black History Month.