From Deseret News archives:
Utahns celebrate King's legacy
The retired aircraft mechanic remembers marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Mississippi and wasn't about to let Monday's snowstorm keep her from an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of the late civil rights leader.
"It brings back a lot of memories," Eason, 79, said at the Ogden NAACP branch's annual prayer breakfast at the Marshall White Community Center in Ogden.
King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis. He was known for passivism as he sought social justice. The wintry weather didn't stop hundreds of people across the Wasatch Front from celebrating King's legacy Monday through prayer, voluntarism and honoring students and community members who serve. In Ogden, the annual march was called off because of the weather, but about 100 people attended the annual breakfast.
"It shows their tenacity and commitment to move the dream forward," said Betty Sawyer, president of the Ogden Branch NAACP. "If they come out today, I shouldn't have a problem getting them to come out in good weather."
In Salt Lake City, civil rights attorney Pace Jefferson McConkie put out a call for action, asking if King could be silent amid today's pressing social issues from educational equity to predatory lending.
"In 2008, we must straighten up our backs and continue to work," said McConkie, director of the Center for Civil Rights in Education at Morgan State University in Maryland, as he addressed the Salt Lake Branch NAACP's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Luncheon, which honored students with scholarships, along with community leaders U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner and Bryant Middle School Principal Frances Battle.
"We know we shall overcome because those before us have overcome," McConkie said. "Will the coming generation look back on us to draw their strength? ... Let's go make it happen. Let's change the world."
Many people chose to honor King's legacy through service, and in Ogden, Eason was no exception. She was among about a dozen people who signed up to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club's after-school program.
"They need to hear all the good stuff," said Eason. "You need to give them all the positive reinforcement you can."
Sawyer said she's still looking for more volunteers to help the program's 115 children.
In Salt Lake City, volunteers delivered nearly 200 food boxes for the Utah Food Bank, said spokeswoman Jessica Pugh. A few volunteers couldn't make it because of road conditions, and volunteers are being sought to deliver about 100 boxes, Pugh said. Still, she's calling the event a success.
"We had a great turnout, especially with all the snow," she said. "Spirits were high, people were enthusiastic. It was outstanding."
