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(Seguin) — Seguin wraps up its multi-day MLK celebration on Monday with a Freedom March and program on the this federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The activities begin today with the annual Freedom March. The march symbolizes the marches conducted by civil rights leaders in the 1960’s. Seguin MLK Day Committee President Regina Lee says the Freedom March gets started at 10:15 this morning, starting at Texas Lutheran University and then ending in Central Park.
“TLU’s Wupperman Little Theatre is where we’re located, which is on Prexy Street. You’ll see a group of people, so you know where you’re at the right place. We do have a sheriff’s officer that will help start us off. Hopefully the young Marines will carry a flag, and then we’ll have (MLK Committee member) Rodney Durst will have the people marching toward downtown. We’re going to be…a large crowd, but not a loud crowd. It makes a difference, because we have people coming from La Vernia and Marion. So we have the surrounding communities that have that much interest with their child,” said Lee.
Lee says once people arrive in Central Park, they will begin gathering for the annual MLK Day program. She says there will be singing, excerpts of Dr. King’s speeches, and a keynote address by former Seguin City Councilman Jeremy Roy.
“Dr. Norm Beck will always start us off with a prayer. He’s able to do that this year. We have little singing. Glory Road is going to sing. We have Rev. Jeremy Roy speaking. We’re going to have the mayor down there. So we have a lot of elements to it. Reverend W.C. McIntyre and sister Billy Faye Ball, who’s always played for us, will be there too,” said Lee.do.
Lee says the MLK Committee will also have a few other features available in the park during today’s celebration.
“If you’re 18 or older, we’re going to have voter registration cards for you. If you haven’t had a COVID shot, we’re going to have a mobile unit out there doing that. We did that last year. We had a great response. Rev A.J. Malone Jr.’s son was the first child I actually saw get vaccinated (at the event). So it it really made a difference. We want to at least offer that you, and you don’t have to go any place to get it. The COVID shots are free, and they’ll be offered at the park,” said Lee.
MLK Committee Member Joe Patterson Sr. says he expects people form all walks of life to join in today’s events. He says it speaks to the diversity of Seguin’s MLK activities.
“This is a community that has really, really supported this effort and we feel like it’s something that the community wants to be a part of , and you see it on the day that we March. People come out and it is a blessing. So all in all, I think, this is something that we need to continue. A lot of people ask — ‘well, why do y’all do this? Y’all don’t need to struggle and do all that, no more.’ Well, I’d hate to be the one to inform you, but the struggle hadn’t ended. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we need to keep it going. It’s just a reminder to everybody that we’re still fighting to get better,” said Patterson.
The Seguin MLK Day Planning Committee likes to describe Dr. King’s holiday as a “Day On, and Not a Day Off.” Patterson says they want everyone to come take part in the march and program.
“Use it as an experience to be educated and try to understand better what Martin Luther King’s struggle was all about, because he lived and he wanted this country and this world to be more understanding of each other and one another. This event that we’re putting on, is an event that hopefully inspires people to say — I like that and I think I’m going to get more involved in this. So, it’s an education. Plus, it’s an inspiration to hopefully inspire people to step a little further into understanding, and hoping to help make this country better,” said Patterson.
MLK Committee member Linda Schuler says the legacy of Dr. King is something that should be celebrated by all Americans, which is why she wants to encourage as many people as possible to attend.
“You need to come because you’re an individual. You need to let your light shine. However, that may be. This is a legacy that we need to pass on to generations to come. It’s not a black thing. It’s not a white thing. It’s a colorful thing. We need to be a bouquet. A flower that shines to not only Seguin (and) the state of Texas, but (also) the United States and the world. Peace and love is the answer,” said Schuler.
Again, the MLK Day Freedom March gets started at 10:15 this morning at Texas Lutheran University. The march will travel down Court Street to Central, where the annual MLK Day program will begin shortly after the marchers arrive.