West Side Grows Together’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration went off without a hitch despite freezing weather.
Community members took to the streets of Wilmington to recognize the late civil rights activist.
“Whose city? Our city. Whose streets? Our streets,” they chanted as they marched through the Hedgeville and Hilltop neighborhoods of Wilmington.
The march followed a community cleanup along the same route.
The theme this year was “Good Trouble,” inspired by Congressman John Lewis- a prominent civil rights activist and one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington.
“Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America,” said John Lewis. He made the statement in March 2020 in Selma, Alabama at a commemoration for the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Around 450 people participated in the community cleanup ahead of the march despite the low temperature and snow flurries.
“We’re all about action today, and putting our words into action. Making sure we’re getting into that good trouble. Not being afraid to make the ripples. Not being afraid to tackle some of the more serious conversations,” said West Side Grows Together’s Healthy Neighborhoods Coordinator Billy Haviland. “So I’m hoping today will spur some of that conversating. Get people that don’t normally speak to each other to mingle and integrate. And just to get the community out and together, get into some good trouble and make some change around here.”
Wilmington Peacekeepers launched the event 12 years ago, and continue to marshall the annual march. The organization’s director Brother Terry Walls says it continues to deliver a positive message.
“I've seen it grow. And I meet different people every time I come out. So that’s a good thing. You meet organizations and you meet people who are trying to do things in the community, as well as spread the word of peace in the community,” he said.
The MLK Day event was put together by West Side Grows Together, in partnership with several community organizations, including Delaware Nature Society, MSK Community Center, and Delaware Humanities.
