For the second time in three years the annual MLK march in Vallejo has been canceled, this time due to the concerns with the Omicron variant.
Martin Luther King Day has always been about bringing people together. Unfortunately the coronavirus had other plans.
“Well, we pushed it all the way up to the end of December before making the decision,” Vallejo NAACP President Jimmie Jackson said. “But finally, with this omicron virus, the school district was unwilling to open up Hogan High Middle School, where we usually meet. We also couldn’t get the permit to walk through the city of Vallejo.
King was an iconic American Baptist minister and activist who became a leader in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. King’s goal was to advance civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his own Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.
Although the march has been canceled, there are however, other ways to celebrate King’s life on Jan. 17 in Vallejo. Other activities are planned that day include a community event at Kyles Temple African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church’s community garden on the corner of Sonoma Boulevard and Illinois Street.