PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland continues to honor civil rights leaders with events throughout Black History Month.
Love is King, a Portland nonprofit focusing on healing in the outdoors for people of color, held a march across St. John Bridge called “Walk the Walk” to honor the spirit, work and words of Martin Luther King Jr.
“The St. John’s bridge with its gothic arches reaching towards the heavens stands not just as an architectural marvel but as a testament to the bridges we must build towards understanding equality and justice,” said Pastor Craig Brown from St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.
It was a tribute to the march Martin Luther King Jr. led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, an event credited for helping inspire the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act the same year.
“We all have equal rights, and no one is going to turn us around,” said Deacon Clarence Hatton Jr, also from St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church. “We just want to keep marching forward.”
Leaders from Portland’s St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church said events like this connect people who normally don’t gather together, which strengthens community bonds and connects everyone to a shared history.
“Let us cross these bridges with the same determination and hope guided by the footsteps of those who marched in Selma,” declared Pastor Craig Brown, “knowing that our actions today are paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow.”
