Older Mercedians hope to pass MLK’s ‘dream’ to the young

Longtime Mercedians who fought for racial justice decades ago and were honored in the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march hope to pass on the civil rights leader’s lessons to today’s generation.

Hundreds of participants – both young and old – gathered Monday morning at the Amtrak station where the march down Martin Luther King Jr. Way began. The crowd included children in school bands and those involved in founding the South Merced Community Council.

A two-toned classic Mercedes led the procession, with 86-year-old Julia Beale waving out the top to onlookers. Beale, the grand marshal of this year’s march, was chosen for being a voice for Merced’s minority community in the 1960s and ’70s. Beale was a teacher at Rivera Junior High School, where she worked with students for more than 20 years.

Not far behind was a black stretch limousine carrying 92-year-old Charlie Huddleston, who helped lead the effort to rename the road after King.

Also in the group was David Denson Sr., known for being Merced’s first African American firefighter.

Denson, who continues to live in Merced, recalled creating the South Merced Community Council and fighting to keep liquor stores out of the neighborhood.

He, too, remembers petitioning to change the street name to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The march is another way to honor King, whom Denson called a “pioneer.”

“We have to keep the flag flying,” he said. “We need to let our young people know what he meant to this country.

“If you don’t have no past, you don’t have no future,” he said.

President Ronald Reagan signed Martin Luther King Jr. Day into law in 1983. In a widely published essay that was circulated among the Merced marchers, King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, described the holiday as a day to celebrate the life and legacy of her husband, who brought hope and healing to America during the civil rights movement in the 1950s and ’60s. She wrote that she hoped her husband’s legacy would be carried forward into the 21st century.

The march was capped off with a program at the Merced County Fairgrounds that included multiple youth performances.

Tamara Cobb, a key organizer of the event, noted that it is growing and seeing more community participation. She said she hopes it continues to grow and is supported by schools and youth programs.

“We need to remind the youth where we came from and where we need to go to continue Martin Luther King’s dream,” she said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Older Mercedians hope to pass MLK’s ‘dream’ to the young."