NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KFSM) -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations happened Monday (Jan. 15) in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley.
“Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can. So today we walk in that spirit of love for one another,” Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said.
In Fayetteville lots of people came out for the annual MLK freedom march and noon vigil.
Gary Winters with Hill City Masonic Lodge has been coming to the march for more than a decade.
“It`s very important I feel to continue to do our best to continue to live up to the ideals and dreams that Dr. King had. In my opinion with today`s political climate this is more so important now than ever,” Winters said.
Springdale had their first ever Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. They said this celebration is about bringing all groups of people together.
“It means so much to me, especially if you look at the history of Springdale and how far Springdale has come. It is such an honor to watch my city come together the way that they have,” Alice Gachuzo-Colin said.
Alice Gachuzo-Colin said when she moved to Springdale in 1994 this is something she never dreamed they would be doing. When her family moved here her parents were the only interracial couple in the city.
“We could`ve left but we didn`t. It just means...I have so much love and respect for my parents because I would`ve never had the strength to do this, had they not had the strength to stay,” she said.
After both the Fayetteville march and Springdale parade, people came together to continue the celebration inside with speakers and other performances.