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As i travel along

If i can help somebody, with a word or song

If I can help somebody, from doing wrong

No, my living shall not be in vain.

The decades-old lyrics of Mahalia Jackson were echoed for the hundreds who gathered inside the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Convention Center as they honored the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

They had marched west down King鈥檚 namesake avenue from the University of New Mexico on Saturday morning, chanting, cheering and waving signs. Those footsteps ended in a Downtown convention center ballroom, where Black leaders spoke about King鈥檚 relevance to current affairs and how his lessons carry through to today.

Bishop David Cooper, with New Hope Full Gospel Baptist Church, uttered the lyrics of Jackson 鈥� a civil rights activist and singer who helped pave the way for the success of Black gospel music during segregation 鈥� to urge unity.

鈥淎s an individual, you must remember this, that our living is nothing unless others are blessed by it. We are not here because King breathes but because every breath he took, and every step he took, he took it for his beloved community,鈥� Cooper said to a wave of applause, cheers and 鈥渁men鈥� from the crowd.

鈥淎nd this is where we start the worldwide elimination of poverty and hunger and all forms of bigotry and violence. At its core, the beloved community is an engine of reconciliation. So start your engines.鈥�

Many of those seated in the ballroom wore shirts with King鈥檚 face on them as the event volleyed from inspirational speeches to sing-along hymns, some of which were sung by King so long ago. During the latter, the crowd鈥檚 swaying and dancing appeared to make the entire room bounce along.

Mayor Tim Keller, who marched and spoke briefly, spurred a standing ovation for Nichole Rogers, the first Black city councilor in sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 history.

鈥淚t鈥檚 terrible that it鈥檚 taken too long,鈥� Keller said, 鈥渂ut when we do break through that ceiling, we have to acknowledge it.鈥�

Cooper, one of several speakers, said the day was about unity of all people, no matter the color of their skin. He said it was about calling out injustice across the world, specifically referencing Ukraine and Palestine.

Cooper said institutions in general 鈥� from 鈥渢he U.S. Capitol steps to the church altar鈥� 鈥� had gained a reputation of distrust. He asked the crowd: Which ones can you trust?

But he said, 鈥淚 will tell you there is a difference鈥� between the Salvation Army and the Proud Boys, between the Ku Klux Klan and the historically Black colleges and universities.

鈥淭he courage to start institutions is always found in the core of an individual idea,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥�... But it starts with me, 鈥業, me, myself and mine鈥� are words that empower, but they are also words that can weaken, can cause war, or worse.鈥�

Pastor David Walker of Antioch Baptist Church said it may have been the largest crowd he鈥檚 seen in his 25 years marching for the occasion in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

He said it comes at a time when he and many others are 鈥渄ispleased with what has taken place in the world,鈥� citing division among races and people in general.

鈥淚 think it goes totally against what Dr. King taught,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e come a long way but you can see we鈥檝e got a long way to go.鈥�

Event attendee Claranita Williams said she believed issues that came about during the pandemic were 鈥渁 big setback鈥� for the gains made by the civil rights movement. She said the movement needed to reclaim that progress to address equality and economic disparities, particularly in New Mexico.

鈥淚 still have hope, I think (King) would encourage us to keep working,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 think this (celebration) is awesome. It keeps his dream alive and the work that we still need to do.鈥�