Solidarity Through Action: MLK Day March Unites Diverse Movements

Points of View
Written By Samuel Brown

I attended a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Seattle’s Central District on January 20, 2025. That day was also the inauguration of our nation’s 47th president, Donald Trump.

Many Americans are tired of talking about politics and Trump. Well, not everyone. I think there’s something about this coalescence of events that stands to unite us more than divide us. Hope stems from the fact that this march, which at times threatened to be more about Trump than Dr. King, ultimately succeeded to underscore the importance of some of the very radical problems King was putting his lifeforce into trying to solve before he was assassinated.

What was it like to go to this protest, try to tune out mass media messaging, and see the diversity of opinion within?

“The Only Dangerous Minority is the Rich,” chimed one sign. “The Democrats are Worthless. Build a New Anti-War Party,” said another. “Engage and Organize Before It’s Too Late.” Peaceful Seattleites of all ages met at Garfield High School and prepared to march while community organizers set the tone for the day.

The clock struck noon. “When our rights are under attack, what do we do?” asked one speaker holding a megaphone. “Stand up, fight back!” answered the crowd. “When Project 2025 comes into effect, what do we do?” they asked again. “Stand up, fight back!” the crowd yelled, this time with more energy.

As we started north down 23rd Avenue, other chants included, “Hands up/Don’t Shoot,” “It’s Not/Over,” and “We’re Gonna Beat Back/The Trump Attack.” We turned west onto East Union Street. A band began to play as we went down a steep hill. Trombone, trumpet, and saxophone played with a marching drum. This was music with a lot of soul. “Tell me what democracy looks like,” a particularly loud crowd member yelled. “This is what democracy looks like!” the people boomed back.

Shortly after we turned south onto Martin Luther King Jr. Way, the size, scale, and coordination of this march dawned on me. There were probably around 1,200 people marching in the road. Something like 30 bicyclists were helping to block cars from entering the crowd by way of side streets. Fifty or so cars comprised a front and rear bulwark, navigating in and out of the march with the bikes ensuring their exclusive access. Police were everywhere, hidden in plain sight. Some cops had formed barricades a couple blocks down major arterials, while others conducted surveillance from unmarked vehicles on side streets. Still yet, at any given time there were five to 10 uniformed officers patrolling the march on foot.

“It's time to add your voice,” one sign demanded. “Fund Social Services—Not the military!” another chided. Amid chants of “Free Palestine,” a giant banner read “Jews say stop arming Israel!” Another sign said, “Democrats Keep Funding Genocide.” Signs decrying interventionism in Lebanon, Iran, Sudan, and Yemen were also present. The common sentiment could be read: “Resistance is Justified when People are Occupied.”

Dr. King watches as protestors carry on his legacy.

The Evergreen Echo

Two cops joked with each other as they drank coffee crossing East Cherry Street; the front of the protest slowly approached the intersection. Behind the officers, on the wall of Fat’s Chicken and Waffles, was a mural of Dr. King. With his hand on his forehead, King looked decidedly pensive yet slightly disappointed. This characterization didn’t change even as the march flowed past his image. "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” one sign reminded us. Another read: “Stop Police Murder with Multi-Racial Solidarity.” Someone standing close by held one that said, “Stop Police Murder. Elected Civilian Review Boards Now.”

When the march turned west onto South Jackson Street, a couple of Metro buses became temporarily trapped by the sudden takeover of the intersection. Organizers quickly worked to direct the protestors onto one side of the street and the buses were on their way in a matter of minutes.

The sheer number of organized groups present at this public gathering was nothing short of inspiring. Many signs were endorsed or created by specific organizations and distributed among members. Yet among the lockstep groups were individuals that bore their own signs made at home. One person broadcast their personal ethos: “I'm here for my Abuelita and all others without a voice.” Another offered their assurance: “The People Will Defend Immigrant Families.”

Far down the street, a drum line played in time to an indecipherable call and response chant. Closer, a four-person choir sang “We Shall Overcome.” “Bodily Autonomy for all,” I spotted scrawled on a poster board. Held by a solemn individual: “Defend trans kids. Stop attacks on trans rights.” Elsewhere, a plea for “FREE abortion on demand” was hoisted high with no apparent strain.

As we got close to turning back onto 23rd Avenue, some protestors addressed the Walgreens on the corner directly with anti-capitalist ire. A block away, at least 16 cops standing with their bikes burned through tax dollars pointing, laughing, and dancing in amusement with each other for around 20 minutes. "Today, capitalism has outlived its usefulness," read another sign, quoting Dr. King.

14 uniformed cops with bicycles smiling and laughing amongst themsevles

Cops seemingly laugh at members of the MLK Day march bike brigade.

The Evergreen Echo

It was past 3:00. I left the still very vitalized group, moved by the diverse people, groups, and ideologies that peacefully marched together for hours. The mood of this march ranged from that of righteous indignation to deeply somber, and then, at times, cautiously optimistic. A certain level of hope present maintained a baseline level of energy that kept people walking forward, chanting, singing, talking, and holding signs in a continuation of the protest movement.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was, at a certain point in time, the most hated man in America. His house was bombed, he was stabbed nearly in the heart, and the FBI engaged in a campaign of surveillance and harassment against him culminating in the government institution telling him in no uncertain terms to kill himself.

He was also one of the greatest orators in recent history. King grew up in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and became a minister at the age of 19. The Black church was a cornerstone of the civil rights movement, with pastors, ministers, and other clergy taking lead roles in the organizing. Historian Paul Harvey says that “it’s impossible to conceive of the civil rights movement without placing Black Christianity at its center, for that is what empowered the rank and file who made the movement move.”

It is also impossible to conceive of the civil rights movement without placing Black and Brown women at its center as well. As Dr. Ciera Graham puts it, “The civil rights movement was relegated to the male perspective even though women played pivotal roles in organizing, but much of their work was overshadowed by men, and many of them were kept in roles that lacked autonomy and visibility.” Eleven years before she refused to give a white man her seat on the bus, Rosa Parks was dubbed “best investigator” for the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. She investigated rape cases and helped organize legal action against white rapists. What proportion of Americans know that fact?

The current administration is now threatening to take away federal funding to schools that dare to teach Critical Race Theory. How many members of Generation Alpha will be exposed to this history? Critical Race Theory is nothing new. It’s decades old. Why are we seeing such outrage about it now? The sustained whitewashing of Dr. King’s radical philosophy and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole threatens to continue to cover up the true legacies of those involved.

A Black marching person smiles during an exchange with a white cop at the side of a road, marching people with signs behind them

Two people exchanging words amid the peaceful messages of the march.

The Evergreen Echo

In a video by Ernest Crim III, he asks his audience if they could name five white people who were anti-racist in American history. Silence fell; no one can answer. He says obviously there have been way more than five, and asks his audience a follow-up: “Why can’t you name them then?” When we’re this ignorant of our history, we remain divided. The truth may be uncomfortable, but it is still the truth; systemic racism is still alive and well, right here at home.

Just before he was assassinated, Dr. King tried to bring people together with his most ambitious and radical project yet: The Poor People’s Campaign. He was class-conscious. Are we?

Are you passionate about any of the issues highlighted by the protest? Do you want to use that energy to support local, national, and/or international struggles to work toward solving them?

The following is a non-exhaustive list of groups and organizations I saw at the march on January 20. Use discretion and research to determine if any are right for you.

Samuel Brown

Samuel (he/him) is an optimist who believes in the power of interlocution to foster a more informed community and speak truth to power. Art is not merely a commodity. He enjoys working on film projects with his brother Wesley like The Sam and Wes Internet Experience. He is an ever-learning actor who took lessons from Emmy Award-winning director John Jacobsen and trained at Seattle's Freehold Theatre. He is also a musician with multiple albums who plays the guitar, piano, violin and electric bass. Samuel received his B.A. in Philosophy with a Minor in Spanish from Western Washington University in December of 2022.

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