Video Coverage of Each Event!
Paso Robles celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with two events, one on Jan. 15 and the other on his birthday, Jan. 17, in order to spread the message of kindness and unity in a town plagued by social-political division and a pandemic separating neighbors and friends.
On Jan. 15, Paso Robles High School hosted a tutorial event where performances by the Advanced Drama, which preached coming together despite differences, and Advanced Dance, which danced to MLK’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” and “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers, were given as well as speeches preaching MLK’s ideals.
“His message is something everyone can learn from and has touched so many different communities regardless of ethnicity, religion, etc.” Kelen Macharia, President of the Black Student Union at PRHS, said.
The senior gave a welcoming speech and helped organize the event.
Despite Paso Robles having a 1.1% African American population, according to the United States Census Bureau, community members from all backgrounds and ethnicities came to the Jan. 17, MLK Walk at Paso Robles’ downtown park. Notable figures include: Councilmember Fred Strong, PRJUSD Superintendent Curt Dubost, PRJUSD Board of Trustee Chris Arend, and Lovella Walker, a key organizer in the PRHS event as well as the walk.
As an employee of the City of Paso Robles for 35 years, Walker was able to see the MLK walk evolve from the first event in 1990, when an African American resident asked the Director of Recreation see more representation in city events.
“I would just like to continue to see the event grow, continue to see people come out and support it so that we can make Paso Robles known for being a unified community. A community that supports one another and shows love towards each other,” Walker said.
As Dr. Denise Isom prepared for her keynote speech for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and Walk on Jan. 17, she found tears springing to her eyes, physically and emotionally moved by the Reverand’s words.
“The words he says and the ideas he presents literally affect me to the core,” Isom, the Interim Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Cal Poly, said. “The ideas, the spirit, the content of those words that I feel I am responsible for helping share with others.”
Isom would give a speech centered around the MLK quote,
“With this faith, out of a mountain of despair, we can hue a stone of hope.”
The professor at Cal Poly addressed social divisions in Paso Robles such as the fight for Ethnic Studies in 2021, the defecation of the Pride flag at Paso Robles High School earlier in the school year, and controversy regarding mandates under public scrutiny.
Despite the weight of the topics, Isom remained hopeful.
“We can dream. We can be the standard bearers of justice, the huers of hope, and take on the mountain,” Isom said. “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose radical hope.”
Despite rain pouring down on their shoulders, and a winter chill numbing their fingers, the community members that came to the MLK walk, to continue spread the Reverand’s message, cheered as Isom finished her speech. They would later walk around downtown Paso Robles.
With a mountain of despair in front of them, they continued on, huing hope with every step.
Credits:
Malia Gaviola