Annual MLK march draws large crowd in Ocala

Members of the NAACP Marion County Youth Council march with hundreds of other people during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March on Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

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Posted January 15, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, andy@ocalagazette.com

Latrice Sweet paid a personal tribute to the slain civil rights leader during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative march on Jan. 15 in Ocala. Sweet, 56, an Ocala native, wore a mask with King’s facial image covering her own face and dressed in a white long-sleeve shirt and necktie.

“I want to be him today,” Sweet said.

Sweet carried a sign that had written on it a line from King’s famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” The sign also gave King’s birthdate, Jan. 15, 1929, and the date of his assassination, April 4, 1968.

Sweet feels that King’s message is more relevant today with the current “division” between people.

The annual Martin Luther King Day March saw upwards of 70 groups from area churches and organizations, which joined elected officials and private individuals to support the civil rights leader’s nonviolent call for equality and justice for all.

Kelvin Richardson, a member of Marion County’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission, helped stage marchers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex on west Silver Springs Boulevard prior to the march.

“(This march is) about a better community,” he said.

At a staging area on Broadway Street adjacent to the downtown square, groups prepared for the march. The Rev. Luther Miller of Ocala’s 158-year-old Mount Zion AME Church remembered civil rights activists holding marches in Ocala in the 1960s when he was a youngster. Miller was accompanied by Mary Miller, Rose Ann Kerr and Homer Gary from the church. Homer Gary’s children, Eleena Gary, 11, and Jay R. Gary, 15, both remarked on the importance of King’s contributions.

Kimberly NcNeil and Michael Moten coached the Dynamic Dazzlin’ Dolls dance group to find “power in dance.” Dance group captain Jordyna Wilson, 13, said it “feels good” to honor the legacy of King.

Ocala City Councilman Ire Bethea kept busy lining groups up to join the march.

“It’s important to celebrate  the life and legacy of Dr. King,” he said.

Denise Mack and her grandson, Iza’yah Johnson, 16, joined Wayne Little and his son Malcolm Little, 9, as part of the Little Chapel Community Church delegation. Iza’yah said the march is an opportunity for all to “come together.”

Ocala Tree of Life Sanctuary, a combined group of Temple Beth Shalom and First Congregational United Church of Christ members, was represented by Rabbi Erin Boxt, Kathy Davis, Ted Williams, Dana Knapp and Jenny Ortega.

Marchers from Welcome Stranger Missionary Baptist Church included three generations of one family: Laura Hunt, 71; her daughter, Shawna Pinellas, 55; and her daughter, Lauryann Pinellas, 16, who commented on equality in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Eleven members of the Vanguard High School Elite Knights dance group were headed up by leader and classroom substitute Chrimson Boothe. Dance group captain Zaria Coleman, 18, expressed that part of King’s legacy is that a celebration like Monday’s can now be held as opposed to during King’s earlier days .

Kut Different, a nonprofit dedicated to youth and using male-based mentorship entered a group of marchers carrying a banner that read “One Heart; One Mind; One Community.”

Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano greeted many of the marchers prior to the start of the event. He said he wants people to come together and stop being separated in Ocala. Also joining the march were former mayor Kent Guinn, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken and City Councilman Jim Hilty. OPD officers provided traffic control and security for the event.

“I love our community,” Marciano said.

Daniel Banks helped with a banner from Fort King Presbyterian Church. Banks, an elder at the church, said an additional event honoring King was held at the church.

The commemorative commission held several events honoring King, including a prayer breakfast, food drive, youth event and wreath laying on Jan. 13 and the ecumenical service on Jan. 14 at the church.

The march began around 9 a.m. with an Ocala Police Department Honor Guard followed by the superintendent for Marion County Public Schools, and the entire school district board, Nancy Thrower, Rev. Eric Cummings, Lori Conrad, Dr. Sarah James and  Dr. Allison Campbell.

The numerous groups included representatives of Mount Zion United Methodist Church of Reddick and the Shiloh Eagles Drum Corp with Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist Church of Ocala, which provided lively marching music.

A large College of Central Florida group included students, faculty and staff members. Jim Henningsen, president of CF and a member of the marching group, called the commemoration a “special day.”

Katherine Smith, 82, was assisted by her grandson, Alex Jordan. Smith said following the march that youth are how things will “get better.”

“(The march) is very important to me,” Smith said.

Day in the Park festivities at the complex at the culmination of the march included remarks by County Court Judge Lori Cotton, Marciano and City Manager Peter Lee.

Booths at the park represented the Democratic Women’s Club of Marion County, Ocala Chapter of Black Nurses Rock, Shiloh Pathfinders and Ocala Cultural Arts.

A group representing the NAACP Youth Council, including President Richshard-Prince Brown, 18, and led by Colin Mitchell, marched and attended the park activities. Brown was clearly moved by King’s struggle toward equality.

Rev. Reginald Willis of Saint Paul’s AME was encouraged by the day’s events.

“(I’m) inspired by the youth,” he said.

(See a photo gallery at ocalagazette.com/photo-gallery-mlk-day-march)