Martin Luther King Day

The Martin Luther King Day “Peace Walk’ was from the Frederick Douglass Bridge, down Martin Luther King Avenue to a park over on Good Hope Road. The walk was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, Martin Luther King III. The day was cold on Jan. 17, 2022, when I left the house on a bike. I traveled from my mom’s apartment building in Southwest Washington D.C., and headed towards the new Frederick Douglass Bridge.
As I passed the National Ball Park stadium I started to think to myself that it would be really nice if we can one day have a show there, but the thought left my mind as I arrived at the bridge. I started to see small groups of people holding signs. Most of the signs said something about “Peace, Love and Hope.” I also saw a bunch of quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.
Small groups of people melded together with other small groups of people to form a larger crowd. I was amazed by the diversity of the people in the crowd. Dr. King was truly loved by everyone.
I listened as live bands played the distinct sound of Go-Go music played by the Washingtonians (the people of the city) and I heard people chanting “This is what democracy looks like!”
When I got to the stage on Good Hope Road Southeast there was a man schooling people on how you can keep yourself protected from COVID-19. This pandemic really has everyone on edge. A lot of people have been avoiding large crowds including myself. But that day was different and I am really glad I went out.
The walk was very peaceful. One thing that I learned was that the Martin Luther King Day walk in Washington, D.C. is called the “Peace Walk.” Born and raised in Washington, D.C., I am still learning about this great man. I am looking forward to the next peace walk of 2023.