Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday March in Albuquerque

Every year the City of Albuquerque and the Martin Luther King Jr. State Commission Office put together a beautiful march in dedication to the remembrance of what Martin Luther King Jr. did and his message that has inspired us all for years. The celebration and dedication continues this year with a march followed by speeches by our local leaders.

In honor of this special day, all nationalities are encouraged to come together and march in unity with banners, music, dancing, and singing. Entire families are encouraged to attend. The march begins at the corner of University and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd on the UNM campus. Festivities start at 1:00 pm so arrive early as the crowd can be fairly large and parking can be difficult to find.

I have had the opportunity to attend this march for a few years in the past and it is full of life and inspiration. As a whole crowd, we begin marching down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd with our banners or drums or other various celebrational items. There is a lot of singing, chatting and enjoyment. The public stops with their cars or looks out their apartment windows to give a hello, shout praises or honk their horns.

About a half an hour later we arrive at the Civic Plaza downtown where several speeches are given. These can be fairly long, especially with all the introductions and thanking of various individuals. However, I believe they are fully aware of these time constraints and have gotten better over the years. After all, we are all there to listen and hear MLK's message, not be overwhelmed by gratuities and one long introduction after the next.

When these are over, free shuttles are available to return people back to UNM. However, you are also more than welcome to walk back. The sun should be setting and the view of the pink mountain tops are quite beautiful at that time. The shuttles run for quite awhile, making several trips back and forth to get everyone in.

Overall it's a nice experience that is especially nice to be shared with the whole family and even your community.