SAN DIEGO — Hundreds of San Diegans from all generations gathered Monday to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
They stood together and sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" at the 36th Annual All Peoples Celebration at Balboa Park. The theme of the gathering, "Claiming Human Dignity,” may seem like a simple act, but it's something King's legacy continues to teach people.
“Every human, just because they're human, has the right to human dignity, period,” said LaWana Richmond, Ph.D., Alliance San Diego Board Vice President.
Alliance San Diego, a nonprofit that promotes equality, hosted the event and recently launched the Starts With Dignity campaign.
“I mean, how do you push back against the idea of human dignity?" Richmond said. "It made it a much easier conversation."
But teens say it’s not always an easy conversation.
“While it's something that's very important, simple, it's not something that all people have the privilege to recognize,” said Sydney Chan, Canyon Crest Academy student and SD350 Youth4Climate Intern.
They said human dignity echoes what King wrote about in the 1963 "Letter from the Birmingham Jail": Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity …"
“Human dignity means recognizing when it is our time to step in and take action, even if it's an unpopular action,” said Chan.
As people were asked to take a moment and reflect on what dignity meant to them, people said "hope."
“Gratitude, not only for what we have, but also to recognize what other people don't have so that we're able to uplift all,” said Abby Costello, Hilltop High School student and Chula Vista SD350 Community Liaison intern.
Compassion, grace and listening also came to mind for some people.
“Be kind, be considerate of others and understand that your freedoms begin to end when they impose upon or infringe upon someone else's,” said Richmond.
King's legacy continues to empower people to march in solidarity.
“He led through love and liberation of people. And I think that's the kind of messaging I want to carry in my life. That's the action I want to take. That's the positivity. I want to bring it into the hearts of others,” said Xavier Holmes, SD350 Youth Program Coordinator.
To learn more or get involved with Alliance San Diego, click here.
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