'We shall overcome'

Double the temperatures equaled quadruple the crowds this year for a Freedom March on Monday in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

About 200 people marched up South Dixie Boulevard and Murphy Street, many holding signs and singing spirituals to honor King on Monday, the federal holiday set aside to honor the slain civil rights leader.

“We’re just here to follow his belief that all men will come together,” Lillie Martin said.

“And make sure our children understand that,” Fonda Carpio added.

Welton Blaylock made sure that a number of young people understood that. The owner of Shout Cheerleading brought 47 students ages 2 to 18 to the march. That was more than the entire march had in 2007.

“We do a lot of work in the community,” Blaylock said, adding that he was happy to see a mixture of races at the event. “Hopefully, we can overcome color barriers.”

Jorrion Wilson, 13, a student at Bonham Junior High, said he wanted to honor King, who was assassinated in 1968, for all he did.

“I hope people learn that all people should be treated fairly,” he said.

Although it was windy, Martin was excited the conditions were not as raw as the mid-20 degree temperatures that marchers dealt with last year.

“Thank you,” she said. “We thank him for that.”

At the end the route, around 100 people gathered in the Gertrude Bruce Historical Cultural Center for a ceremony full of song and prayer. It culminated in a candlelight vigil.

The Rev. J.W. Hanson told the audience it should treat every day like the King holiday.

“We need to get out of the idea that, if it’s not at my church, we can’t do it,” he said. “Because not everything is going to be at your church.

“It’s not enough to show unity today and then go, ‘Kablook!’ ”

The Rev. Gene Collins encouraged the audience to donate money to send an Odessan to the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial this summer in Washington, D.C.

“It doesn’t have to be me,” Collins said. “But I wouldn’t turn down the trip.”