Every year, Lafayette hosts its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day March to celebrate the life of the great civil rights activist. The march itself was held indoors at Bob L. Burger Recreation Center on Monday, January 20, due to the freezing weather. Hot cocoa and breakfast burritos were served to keep its attendees warm.
Plenty of guests spoke about MLK’s legacy and impact. Skye Williams, Shibani Senthikumar, and Abigail Aguirre Garica from Peak to Peak created an ethnic studies club inspired by Centaurus’s ethnic studies class to promote cultural understanding and reflection. The band Moses Graytower and the American Spirit performed a fusion of jazz and rap shortly after Kyle Brown, a representative for the 12th district, spoke. Mr. Brown’s words embodied the lingering vexation felt before during Donald Trump’s last presidency. “It is a testament to our strength that we showed up today,” he said, referencing the grim sentiment many have felt since November 5th.
The recurring theme throughout almost all of the political figures’ speeches was “youth.” Kyle Brown, JD Mangat (Lafayette’s Mayor), Kenny Nguyen (Broomfield’s Ward 1 Council Member), and Andrea Neguse (Joe Neguse’s wife [Congressman Neguse was attending the inauguration]) all spoke on the importance of youth involvement in the future of our country.
Mr. Mangat, who also works as an 8th grade social studies teacher at Angevine, spoke on how MLK’s ideas resonate with him “It’s the young people that really make the change in the world. [We must] question things! Question me [as mayor]! We can not subconsciously succumb to authority!” The idea of questioning politicians is more important now than ever. Allowing injustice to continue in the government is to condone inequality. To quote MLK, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
January 20th, 2025 marked the second time Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed on inauguration day, with the first time in 1997. MLK day is always the 3rd Monday of January, and inauguration day falls on either January 20th or January 21st if the 20th is a Sunday. January 20th also marked Trump’s second inauguration into the oval office. The dates may have been sheer coincidence, but the warning message this sends is not. For these next four years, we must hold MLK’s messages closer than ever. During my time at the annual Lafayette MLK march, through all the quotes spoken and songs sung, two things resonated for me: community and youth.
The youth were the basis of the Civil Rights Movement. MLK was only 26 years old when chosen to lead the movement, with students hosting sit-ins, organizing picket lines, and starting freedom rides. The 21st century has been the one of the most partisan to date. Polarization has become deeply rooted in our democracy and henceforth our life. According to Political Scientist Lynn Vavreck of UCLA, when comparing 1958 to 2016, the percentage of democrats that did not want their child to marry outside the party shot up from 33% to 60%; for republicans, it was 25% to 63% (Vavreck). These numbers have most likely grown since 2016, with the intersection of politics and social media consuming our lives. According to Tufts University, 45% of youth surveyed in 2023 believe the country is failing to live up to its promises of fairness and freedom; 55% say they trust their fellow peers, and only 11% say they trust large corporations (Booth, Tufts University Tisch College). If young people are more willing to put aside their differences for the common interest of collective action against the propaganda and fear put out by the Trump campaign, then and only then can we not only survive the next four years, but create a better America.
This growing partisan division has distracted working Americans from the very real problems of a growing oligarchy and class struggle. King said “this problem of poverty is not only seen in the class division between the highly developed industrial nations and the so-called underdeveloped nations; it is seen in the great economic gaps within the rich nations themselves.” In a country where the top 10% own two-thirds of the country’s wealth, the divisions of the two-party system have distracted from the growing oligarchy under President Trump. This created a lack of attention on the growing wealth divide and instead pushed to the forefront a “culture war” that prioritizes dividing the community. While we fight with each other over the banning of Tiktok, Mr. Trump is drilling into our land, trying to unconstitutionally repeal birthright citizenship —against the 14th amendment—and withdraw from the World Health Organization (read more about his first day in office here). While youth involvement is extremely important, and youth have shown a willingness to trust those around them, we need more than just youth involvement; we need community.
The collective action of youth is not possible without community involvement. On the 20th, at Bob L. Burger Rec Center, I saw the possibilities that community creates. When a group with a common goal comes together, whether that be to inform, volunteer, or invest in finding solutions, civic action is essential to ensuring that government actions reflect the will of the people. By having people of all ages participate in civic action, with specific emphasis on getting younger generations to have their voices heard, the fear tactics Trump is using will not create the same division his administration is hoping for.
In your community, join a local group dedicated to making change in politics; start your own protests; volunteer at a food shelter; and donate to GoFundMes and local charities supporting groups that are actively being attacked. Both MLK and Council member Mr. Nyguen spoke on the importance of involvement in your government. Run for city council or get an internship at a local government building. Most important of all, do not allow the division coming in these next four years to prevent you from having your voice heard. To quote MLK one last time, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Bibliography
Vavreck, Lynn. “A Measure of Identity: Are You Wedded to Your Party?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 31 Jan. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/upshot/are-you-married-to-your-party.html.
Booth, Ruby Belle. “Youth Are Interested in Political Action, but Lack Support and Opportunities.” Circle.tufts.edu, 30 Jan. 2023, circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/youth-are-interested-political-action-lack-support-and-opportunities.
