In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.

Tuesday, January 18, 2000

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly 40 people braved the cold night air with candles in hand as they walked slowly up 12th Street in Ironton Monday.

United, the group spread a message they say will not be soon forgotten – the peaceful conquering of racial injustices.

"We feel we need to serve our part," said Alexander Howard, 15, who attended the march.

"It’s to celebrate Martin Luther King Day and what he’s done for us," Jordan Fletcher, 8, chimed in. "He said a speech about a dream that black people can be equal to white people. I think that dream’s come true."

The march continued to Kemp Avenue before turning onto 10th Street. From there, marchers walked to Vine Street and back to 12th Street, said Kathy Cain, Ohio University Southern Campus professor and march organizer.

"We like the march to move into every region in the City of Ironton," Mrs. Cain said. "And this is one area we haven’t marched."

This is the ninth year for the annual Operation: Be Proud Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. candlelit march through the city streets, said Robert Pleasant Jr., OBP president.

And the march will continue as long as there is a cause to fight for, he added.

"We don’t march because of the man, but because of the vision Martin Luther King had for the community," Pleasant said. "This dream is not a reality yet. We’re still working to make it a reality, and we want to get everyone involved."

The whole community stands to benefit from the message of Dr. King, Pleasant added, because his words were not just for blacks.

"When you hear of people being killed because of the color of their skin, or murdered because of their sexuality, or that women are still being discriminated against in the workplace those are(n’t) the things Dr. King wanted for all people," he said.

"If you read a lot about him, he was for equality for all. He was one that said you don’t have to agree with someone, just treat them with respect and dignity."

After the march, nearly 100 Ironton residents gathered in Ohio University Southern Campus’s Bowman Auditorium for a history lesson that hit close to home.

Ironton men and women who lived through the Civil Rights Movement, and fought for a chance to swim in the municipal pool with other children of differing race shared their stories with the help of a movie compiled with the help of OUSC, Pleasant said.

"The video really reflects what the residents of Ironton have gone through," he said. "And we want the young people to know what it was like here. And, hopefully, we can gain lessons from those people we’ll carry on to the next millennium."

The video showcased the lives of local heroes, said Belinda Brown.

"Wilma Fox, Lloyd Scales, Marshall Taylor, the Rev. Henry Taylor, just to name a few, were real leaders in our community," Mrs. Brown said.

And sometimes it’s easy to forget if not reminded of how different life was just a few decades ago, said Mrs. Fox, who gladly shared her experiences for the education of others.

"There is no place in Ironton you can’t go now," Mrs. Fox said when asked how times had changed.

"You couldn’t go to any restaurant if you were black. Even the plants, they wouldn’t hire you. We could only swim in the pool for half a day Monday, and they emptied and cleaned the pool after," she said.

"This story needs to be told so it won’t happen again."

And that was the goal of this presentation, and others offered up throughout the year by Operation: Be Proud.

And Virginia Pleasant, for one, thinks that message has been well-received.

"It’s something that needs to be done," Mrs. Pleasant said. "Our young people coming up need to know more about Martin Luther King and the struggles he went through to get where we are. And this is a good way for them to learn and a good way for the different races to come together."