‘Walk Together’ and celebrate 25th anniversary of MLK Youth Rally and March

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally and March will mark its 25th anniversary in January and organizers are going the extra mile to commemorate the event.

On Wednesday - the 56th anniversary of the March on Washington - they announced plans for a “Walk Together” campaign during the months leading up to the Jan. 20 event in downtown Lincoln. 

Organizers are reaching out to local community members, leaders, athletes and celebrities and asking them to donate a pair of shoes - new or worn, it doesn’t matter. Donors will include a card with a written message that describes their own journey they have walked. Eventually, the shoes and their stories will be displayed in glass cases, shared on social media and used as a way to continue their conversations throughout the community.

Azcia Fleming, a senior at Lincoln High School, has been involved with the march since she was in fourth grade. She’s the planning committee’s student leader for this year’s event, scheduled for Jan. 20 in downtown Lincoln.

“Our walk for the last 24 years has brought thousands of people of different walks of life together on the third Monday in January,” she said. “The planning committee has brought together youths with different walks - from Lincoln, Eagle, Norris, Raymond, public and private schools, youth of different genders, race, interests and level of racial understanding to the table.”

Pete Ferguson, youth development team coordinator for Lincoln Public Schools, is the planning committee’s adult advisor. He said the goal of the “Walk Together” theme is to “gain insight and contributions of various walks throughout history, honoring the current walks and the need for the community to unite in their walk to reaching the ‘mountaintop’ that Rev. King referenced in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.”

Event organizers are teaming with journalism students from Lincoln Southwest High School to spread the word. You also can find more information on the event’s website.


Published: August 30, 2019, Updated: August 30, 2019

"Our walk for the last 24 years has brought thousands of people of different walks of life together on the third Monday in January."

Lincoln High School senior Azcia Fleming