Martin Luther King Jr. was more than just “flowery words,” Ray White told a crowd in the McKay High School commons Monday. White, board president of the nonprofit BE-BLAC Foundation, said the mainstream portrayal of Dr. King can sometimes be a “safe” version of his beliefs, and focused on his “beautiful quotes about love and unity” rather than his disruptive nature. “His words were polarizing, his leadership challenged systems built on exclusion, fear and silence … How we see him needs to move beyond just the remembrance of the man to the responsibility of the mission,” he said. On Monday, White was one of several speakers who kicked off a community event at McKay High School that recognized organizations and local leaders who’ve done work to provide joy and support around Salem and Keizer. Over 200 people had come to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event, organized by the Salem-Keizer NAACP and Salem Leadership Foundation, included community awards followed by a peace walk to First Free Methodist Church in northeast Salem. While primarily focused on honoring the civil rights leader, the walk was an extension of a community effort to reduce violent crime through peaceful neighborhood walks. The effort started in 2024 when a consultant made recommendations to the city of Salem on lowering community gun violence. One of those recommendations was holding peace walks through city neighborhoods. After listening to several speakers, most of the attendees walked around a mile and a half through northeast Salem to reach the church on Northeast Silverton Road. As people walked along Northeast Lancaster Drive, lots of cars honked as they drove by. Some of the people wore shirts reading “Peace Walk Salem,” while one person carried a sign with a large peace symbol. “It’s really important to really be out and collaborate and you know, just reach out to other citizens that are obviously working for the same issues, same causes,” Laura Daniel, a Keizer resident, said as she waved to passing cars as they honked. To her, the event was a reminder of the importance of communication and partnerships to help others in the community. “There’s power in numbers, and I think you have more strength and power if you’re collaborating and not have all these little fractious groups that are trying to work for the same thing, but they’re not collaborating,” Daniel said. “We don’t know what (the) left and right hand are doing so I think that was an important takeaway.” People participate in a peace walk through northeast Salem as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event Monday, Jan. 19. (MADELEINE MOORE/Salem Reporter) Before the walk, speakers talked about the meaning of the peace walks and the significance of holding it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. White framed the day as a call to action to not be quiet in the face of injustice. People can often agree with pushing back against injustice, but disagree with the methods of pushing for action, he said. “So if you’re like me, you may have seen this play out in some way, shape or form in many institutions and communities, especially in the last six years,” he said. “Places that value inclusion, but the systems are built off exclusion … cities that talk about community, they talk about belonging, but greenlit practices that push away others or round them up when they don’t fit the aesthetic that the community is trying to portray.” Ashley Dunn, vice president of the Salem-Keizer NAACP, distributed awards to people and organizations for their work supporting and contributing to the community, including Rebecca Bonner, owner of Keizer hub Radness Ensues; Evelyn McCoy Harris, of Seed of Faith Ministries; and the leaders of Black Student Unions at Claggett Creek and Parrish middle schools. Monday’s walk was far from Neville Charles’ first peace walk. Visiting from Atlanta, Charles said he’s done many similar walks in other cities, including London. He attended Salem’s event with Dunn. “The notion that there’s more power in us coming together than in us being apart, the fact that we should always be willing and ready to assist each other, especially the disenfranchised. I think those are all powerful stories,” he said. Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected]. LOCAL NEWS DELIVERED TO YOU: Subscribe to Salem Reporter and get all the fact-based Salem news that matters to you. Fair, accurate, trusted – SUBSCRIBE. The post Local leaders reflect on MLK’s legacy, hold peace walk appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less