The oldest peace walk and parade commemorating one of the most remarkable men in African Diasporic history takes place every January in Southeast Washington, D.C. For 42 years, members of the East of the River community have gathered to activate his legacy. But, what does that mean in the year 2023 and 52 years after Dr. King’s death? During the Annual MLK Peace walk and Parade celebration, I took to the streets of Anacostia (MLK Avenue, to be specific) to better understand how this historic community looks to Dr. King for a path forward.
Every year, the “all lives matter” pacifist image of Martin Luther King, Jr. jams our digital airways as brands foreplay their diversity strategies ahead of Black History Month. The long process of diluting Dr. King’s legacy is the most prominent form of Black erasure in Black history since slavery was considered a choice. Although the federal calendar dictates that it is Dr. King’s birthday celebration, that is not the focus in the Southside.
As a result, only a few partons of the Annual MLK Peace Walk and Parade can regale me with intricate facts about Dr. King’s life. However, the purpose of the gathering is clear, as thousands of community members answer Dr. King’s final question; Chaos or Community?
The statement, “THOU SHALT NOT KILL” dawns on bright red t-shirts replacing the quotes from Dr. King’s books, letters, or speeches. Politicians, (current and potential), mobilize their teams to march down permitted streets, replacing Dr. King’s strategic non-violent provocations to sway public morale. I gleefully watch as the Young Cadets, MPD’s high school recruitment program, eyes swelled with discipline, military march past the sucked tooth, and rolled eyes from the young people of the Afrocentric and proudly disruptive Harriet’s Wildest Dream organization.
The question of MLK’s pride in today’s Black society is tedious and impossible. Most importantly, the day demonstrates that we are still here. Even with just the tip of the symbolic version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we will continue to have these days that carry the joy of a cookout but with the fatigue of collective action. This day is more proof that we choose community.
“At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed is ‘community’ – the mutually cooperative and voluntary venture of man to assume a semblance of responsibility for his brother.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
