Students, community come together for march, peace vigil in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Central Michigan University students and Mount Pleasant residents came together Monday afternoon to participate in the commUNITY march and vigil held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The march, which began at Bovee University Center and ended downtown at Mount Pleasant Town Square, was held by CMU’s Multicultural Academic Student Services.

Assistant Director of MASS Keisha Janney said she was slightly surprised by the turnout of people who came to show their support of King.

“I was surprised because I am always humbled by the number of people who show up,” Janney said. “But also no, because by honoring him, students are showing they value him.”

Marchers carried paper signs with quotes and pictures of King as they made their way downtown where a vigil was held and an opportunity was given to talk about the importance of King’s life work.

“I didn’t expect the turnout to be like this,” said West Bloomfield freshman Julius Cantuba. “We’ve had things like this back home and it was a lot smaller.”

This was Cantuba’s first time at the march and vigil in Mount Pleasant and he said would return next year.

“This is a way to keep his legacy alive,” Cantuba said. “It is because of him that I can be who I want to be without people judging me.”

Davison sophomore Shelbe Klebs said she Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more than just about having the day off of school.

“This day means taking steps to overcoming the minority gap,” Klebs said. “I incorporate what he stood for by being accepting and open-minded of people.”

Mount Pleasant resident Don Nagler and his wife, Nancy, commended King on his hard work in making them both better people.

“Having the vigil presents another point of view for people,” Don said. “It’s important for people to grow.”

Nancy was one of several people who went up to the stage during the vigil to speak about King’s importance to her.

“We feel this is an opportunity for people to get to know someone different than themselves personally,” Nancy said. “It breaks down the barrier.”

Frankenmuth sophomore Brittany Garcia said she thought the march was a good way to bring the community and students together to celebrate King and his life work.

“I think the walk brings awareness,” Garcia said. “CMU’s mission statement is about including diversity and through this event they are able to incorporate all different backgrounds.”

After the march and vigil, transportation was provided for those interested in hot chocolate and donuts back at the UC.

Janney said it was amazing to see people come out and support the legacy King left behind and she hopes people continue to do so in the future.

“The student body is so inclusive and aware of issues going on here,” Janney said. “I’ve even heard talk about gender-neutral housing, which speak to social issues King stood for.”