From the first strands of "Lift every voice and sing" to the final "Let us march on till victory is won," P.E. Monroe Auditorium swelled with the melody, and pride, of the Negro National Anthem. Singing maybe the loudest and proudest of all was Nancy K. Jones, a former elementary school teacher in Hickory.
"The reason I came today is because of the legacy of Dr. King, for my race and our people, and when I say all people, I mean people of all nations," Jones said before joining the group taking the annual march to Ridgeview Recreational Center, reminiscent of King's 1963 March on Washington, ending at the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his "I have a dream" speech.
The event included keynote speaker, Thabiti Lewis, a professor at Washington State University Vancouver, who reminded the youths present of the work and sacrifice of people like King.
"This generation is here because the sacrifices of the generations before them, people who withstood beatings with billy clubs, attacks by dogs, sprayed with water hoses, being spit on, even murder," Lewis said. "We stand on the shoulders of giants."
The ability to stand up for ourselves in the face of oppression, he said, is one of the greatest assets of mankind.
"Our greatest hope is our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit," Lewis said.
And of those who would say King's dream is realized with the election of Barack Obama, he says it's not time to rest just yet.
"The mountaintop, while visible, is still in the distance," he said.
He urged people, especially the youths, to get involved with the community and bettering all humankind. No action is without meaning, he said.
"Every act matters," Lewis said. "Each strand works together to unravel the ropes of injustice."
He pointed to King as someone who was courageous, staying with his beliefs opposing racism and the Vietnam War, even when people working with him during the Civil Rights Movement turned against him.
"Ordinary people are the key," Lewis said. "We would not have a new black president without the power and force of people, especially the young people who demanded change."
Streets were blocked off as marchers traveled the route from the university to Ridgeview Recreation Center. Police estimate about one-third more participants in this year's march compared to last year.
One of those marchers was Hickory native Stephanie Millsaps.
"I try to march every year, but I've been away from the area," she said as she rushed to catch up with the other marchers. "It's part of history for me."
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