Remembering Dr. King

Nearly 300 people gathered in Roosevelt on Monday for a Unity March in honor of what would have been the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 95th birthday.

The event was organized in part by Rob Lewis and the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roosevelt. "It was vitally important to bring the community together for a common cause," said Lewis.

Keith Coles, a leader within My Brother’s Keeper in Uniondale — a state initiative that seeks to “change the narrative of boys and young men of color, and all students, by closing and eliminating the opportunity gaps they face and helping them to reach their full potential,” according to the state’s website — partcipated in the march alongside other school district leaders and students.

“MLK Day is a day of service,” Coles said. “It is important to understand, especially for our middle-school students who attended, that today is not just a holiday or a day off from school — it is actually to do some service in your community.”

The march started at 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the Memorial Presbyterian Church. Participants brought signs reading “Black Lives Matter,” ‘I am a Man,” “We Shall Overcome,” and other calls for social justice and economic equality that recalled the words of King himself as they marched to the Roosevelt Public Library.

“We cannot allow them to erase our history,” said Terry Higgs, a teacher in Hempstead. “Black history is American history. If we don’t know and understand history, we won’t be able to understand how the past impacts our present and future.”

Uniondale High School Principal Mark McCaw said he believes that events like this “help our kids understand the importance of giving back, and help them understand the struggle for civil rights and equality.” McCaw was also proud to see the neighboring communities of Uniondale, Roosevelt and Hempstead come together to support the march.

“What an honor to have marched with my church family, Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roosevelt, in honor of my legendary Morehouse brother, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Assemblywoman Taylor Darling, who took part in the march, said. “Today’s Unity March and Cultural Festival is a beautiful example of areas across the 18th Assembly District joining together in the name of progress.”