Daytona Beach residents celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The march was attended by organizations from across Daytona Beach, including multiple churches, youth groups, the Daytona Beach NAACP and Volusia County Schools.

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Daytona Beach residents were out marching in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19 despite the cold weather. 

The march began at the Charles W. Cherry multicultural center on George W. Engram Boulevard and participants walked around along Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard to M.L.K. Boulevard and back. Organized by the Daytona Beach chapter of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration for Florida, Inc., the event included participants from the Daytona Beach Clergy Alliance, the Daytona Beach NAACP, the Divine Nine, Volusia County Schools, Lourdes Academy, Sunchaser Motorcycle Club and more.

The march was followed by a worship ceremony celebrating King at the Allen Chapel AME Church where leaders of local organizations and churches urged the public to carry on King's dream and work.

Cyntia Slater, president of the Daytona Beach chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said King's campaigns ultimately led to the passage of the Civil rights, Voting Rights and the Fair Housing Act.

"[King] reminded the divided nation that we need one another and that we are stronger when we march forward together," Slater said. "He said we cannot walk alone." 

Now, she said, King's words have renewed meaning, with voting rights once again under attack. 

"I challenge all of you to join us in our campaign to protect the rights of black, brown and marginalized citizens, voting rights, free speech, the right to assemble, the right to travel, the right to love one another, and all other rights that are given to us under the Constitution are under attack," she said. "We cannot do it alone."

To keep King's dream alive "means refusing to accept hate as normal, refusing to let division define us, and refusing to stay silent in the face of injustice," according to a statement from MLK Daytona Beach, the local chapter of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration for Florida. Progress has been made, but systemic inequalities still exist, the statement said. 

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was not just words spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial — it was a call to action, a vision of hope, and a promise of justice," the statement read. "His dream reminds us that equality is not a gift; it is a right. And rights must be protected, defended, and extended to every generation."

Daytona Beach students receive MLK Scholarships

MLK Daytona Beach also awarded eleven Daytona Beach students also received scholarships ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march. Nine students from local schools — including four Mainland High School and two Seabreeze High School students — received $4,000 scholarships. Two students at Bethune-Cookman University received $1,000 scholarships.

Below is a list of the scholarship recipients:

Nathan Kirk, DME Academy 

Chandler Morris, Spruce Creek High School 

Donavon Parks, Mainland High School

Jeffery White, Seabreeze High School

Summer Winebrenner, The Childs Academy 

Maggie Harris, Seabreeze High School

Jayla Long, Mainland High School

Lyniah Brooks, Mainland High School

Cheylin Grant, Mainland High School

Makiyah Shaw, BCU 

Zahir Allen, BCU

 

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