Annual tribute march honors King's legacy

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat UA students from the University Activity Board march in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. A crowd of about two hundred marched from the UA to Reid Park yesterday morning.

Participants in the 14th annual three-mile march, similar to those organized by the slain civil rights leader, were also pounding a strong community message: The quest for equality continues.

"We march to honor his legacy, to teach our children history and to let the people know there is still work to be done," Assistant Dean of Students Veda Hunn said on the UA Mall prior to the march.

Clarence Boykins, Tucson's Martin Luther King Jr. committee chairman, said the march not only maintains awareness of racism issues but also serves as a platform for various groups like labor unions and AIDS activists.

"We marched to make our struggle known, to express our feelings and to let loose frustrations," Boykins said. "Some of the same struggles still exist."

Boykins, who has participated in all 14 marches, said there have been a few changes since the first march, the most memorable being the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday in 1993.

Boykins said more has to be done before King's dream of racial equality is fully realized.

"We still have racial, employment and economic problems, but we continue to march and hope to make some changes."

Participants, many of them pushing their young children in strollers, walked side by side, black and white, singing "We Shall Overcome." They marched from the Mall onto North Campbell Avenue, East Broadway Boulevard and North Country Club Road to Reid Park, where there was music, dancing, food and speeches.