MLK Day - Community Alliance

The banner at the front of Fresno’s City-sponsored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march on Jan. 20 as it proceeds down Tulare Street, with the participation of elected officials and community leaders. Photo by Peter Maiden

Jan. 20 was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and the City of Fresno held its annual march and rally in commemoration of the civil rights leader. Fresno is unusual in holding a City-sponsored event in honor of Dr. King.

Hundreds of marchers went from St. John’s Cathedral a short distance to City Hall, where there was a rally. Speakers included City Council Member Nelson Esparza, Mayor Jerry Dyer, Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula (D–Fresno) and Terri Kimber Edwards.

Terri Kimber Edwards, daughter of Les Kimber, the first Black City Council member in Fresno, speaks in front of City Hall to hundreds assembled to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Jan. 20. Photo by Peter Maiden

Because Jan. 20 was also the day of the Presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., there was some special sense of solidarity. Esparza said he was not supposed to be at the rally as he had plane tickets for Washington, D.C., where he had expected to see the inauguration of Kamala Harris.

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Community Alliance

The Community Alliance is a monthly newspaper that has been published in Fresno, California, since 1996. The purpose of the newspaper is to help build a progressive movement for social and economic justice.
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