Amid a blanket of fog that enveloped the Valley, hundreds of Mercedians gathered by the Amtrak Station on 24th St. Monday to honor the legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the city’s 29th annual Unity March.
The event brought together people from all walks of life – schoolchildren, citizens, local politicians, public servants, and nonprofit organizations – all of whom waited in the cold to honor the legacy of the civil rights trailblazer.
Here is a collection of photographs from Monday’s march from bilingual communities reporter Christian De Jesus Betancourt.
The middle school marching bands from Cruikshank and Rudolph Rivera marched along while playing music.
Two men with signs reading “peace” and “love” also waited for the march to begin.
Local organizations wearing matching outfits held banners as they made their way to the Merced Theater, where the march concluded.
The culture of Merced and its many Hispanic residents was also present, with Charros mounted on horses and women dressed as Adelitas joined the march among a culturally diverse crowd that gathered for the occasion.
Before the march started, the crowd heard from Rep. Adam Gray, Mayor Matthew Serrato, Police Chief Steve Stanfield, and NAACP Merced President Allen Brooks.
The event began after local activist Martha Armas-Kelly sang the national anthem to the crowd.
The little more than half-mile march to the Merced Theater went without incident as people made their way along MLK Jr. Way, holding signs and chanting.
