Boise’s MLK march is for remembering — and moving forward

Hundreds of people gathered at Boise State University’s Student Union Building to make posters and then walk to the Capitol in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

“Dr. King preached to us that we, too, can make change,” said Milaun Danclar, a Boise State senior on the MLK Living Legacy Committee, which organizes the annual march.

“We can’t let his dream die with him,” said Charles Taylor, president of the Treasure Valley NAACP. “To me, this day, as he said, should be a day ‘on’ instead of a day off.”

Makylah Deputy, 12, from Meridian Middle School, was among the marchers. “I wanted to take a stand that people feel accepted and loved, no matter who they are,” she said. The march “made me feel like I have power to change how people think and how people judge others.”

“This march is differentiating between standing up for what we believe in and moving forward together,” said Francisco Salinas, director for Student Diversity and Inclusion at Boise State. Salinas was also the keynote speaker for the Idaho Human Rights Day celebration inside the Capitol following the march. It is as important to commemorate the work of King, he said, as it is to live out his promise.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Boise’s MLK march is for remembering — and moving forward."