BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It’s Martin Luther King Junior Day.
Snow, rain or shine, a group gathered honor the life and legacy of the Civil Rights leader who left his mark on history.
In southside Bethlehem, an annual Civil Rights Movement March crowded the streets.
“While the dreamer is not here, the dream is still alive,” said Reverend Timothy Smith, Associate Pastor at New Christian Harvest Church in Allentown. “Today is not a day off. Today is not a day to dispel the dream. But it’s a day of service.”
A weekend piled up with snow did not hinder the march.
“[There are] a wide array of residents, supporters and those who basically champion the cause of justice,” said Smith.
Smith, a longtime Bethlehem resident, calls the march a tradition.
“We’re going to keep singing that until, of course, we do overcome,” said Smith.
Marching alongside him is Frankie West, President of the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Movement March.
He said he’s been marching for more than 30 years and hopes to spread a message to younger generations.
“This march actually started with three people,” said West, who organized the event.
Today, he estimated 75 people gathered.
“Walking together and trying to get along,” said West
“So from three to 75, that must really make you feel something,” said 69 News reporter Cierra Genelle.
“It makes me feel good if I only have 10 [people]. You know what I mean? Because I’m doing what I love to do,” said West.
The group walked from West Third Street to Martin Luther King Park on Carlton Avenue in Bethlehem.
There, they honored King and his wife.
And they’re already planning for next year’s march.
“It gives me inspiration to know that Martin Luther King’s dream is still alive,” said Paul Grant, flag bearer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Movement March.