GIFFORD — Celebrations stretched across the nation this week to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who many consider a fearless warrior for justice. Gifford held its annual MLK parade and program on Monday with the theme “power of unity,” tracing back to one of King’s influential messages.
Dr. King stood before a congregation in May 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, where he delivered a speech, saying “there is power in unity and there is power in numbers.” King delivered the speech at St. Luke’s Baptist Church after about 2,500 protesters were arrested because they advocated for civil rights, a feat that King encouraged his followers to champion with nonviolence.
A month prior, King was also arrested in Birmingham after he led marches in the city against an injunction banning anti-segregation protests. The revered, Atlanta-born Baptist minister would then go on to say, “keep this movement going, keep this movement rolling. In spite of the difficulties, keep climbing. If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.”…