Martin Luther King, Jr. County Council member Larry Gossett, former Chair of the MLK Celebration Committee, gave a presentation on the history of the Seattle MLK Celebration.
Youth protesters were honored and rally speakers included Louis Watanabe and Ferguson, Missouri resident Jelani Brown. The Chairman of the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, Oscar Eason (caa.wa.gov/...), also addressed the crowd, followed by a benediction delivered by Charles Oliver.
During preparations for the noon march, music and entertainment was provided by Alex Enger, Alex Gonzalez, and Gabriel Teodros. Speakers Sheley Secrest and Darryl Johnson addressed the marchers outside Garfiied High School.
Along the march route, Senait Brown and Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant (www.seattle.gov/...) gave speeches at a youth detention center.
Pastor Riki Wells spoke at the King County Jail.
King County NAACP President Gerald Hankerson addressed the marchers outside Seattle Police headquarters. Aaron Bossett addressed economic injustice at a Yesler Terrace construction site.
The long line of marchers made their way into downtown Seattle escorted by Seattle police on bicycles and motorbikes. The demonstrators held signs with images of Dr. King while they chanted anti-police brutality and anti-racism slogans.
The marchers converged on the Federal Courthouse around 2PM, where spoken words artists Celestine Ezinkwo (cryout.net), Christopher Robinson, Mike Davis, Derrick White, and poet Nikkita Oliver performed on a portable stage set up on a flatbed truck. Washington Middle School Vice Principal Tia Yarborough also performed spoken word.
Speakers at this rally included Claude Burfect, Sarah Scott, Linda Johnson, Jose' Selgado, Juan Jose' Bocanegra and Seattle public school teacher Jesse Hagopian.
Hagopian told the rally participants, "We know that Martin Luther King would have been out in the streets with the protesters in Ferguson taking the rubber bullets."
The Garfield High School teacher continued, "Martin Luther King's legacy is one of direct action - of confrontation against injustice, a man who was arrested over 30 times facing down this racist system."
Hagopian referred to the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as a "lynching".
He criticized Missouri Governor Jay Nixon for invoking the name of MLK during the US national holiday honoring the civil rights leader's birthday. (abcnews.go.com/...)
"The man who sent in the National Guard to put down the protests in Ferguson."
Hagopian was also critical of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson (www.nbcnews.com/...) for speaking in honor of MLK while "ignoring the reality of what he stood for."
A man named Anthony also spoke and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority were represented.
Youth protesters were honored and rally speakers included Louis Watanabe and Ferguson, Missouri resident Jelani Brown. The Chairman of the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, Oscar Eason (caa.wa.gov/...), also addressed the crowd, followed by a benediction delivered by Charles Oliver.
During preparations for the noon march, music and entertainment was provided by Alex Enger, Alex Gonzalez, and Gabriel Teodros. Speakers Sheley Secrest and Darryl Johnson addressed the marchers outside Garfiied High School.
Along the march route, Senait Brown and Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant (www.seattle.gov/...) gave speeches at a youth detention center.
King County NAACP President Gerald Hankerson addressed the marchers outside Seattle Police headquarters. Aaron Bossett addressed economic injustice at a Yesler Terrace construction site.
The long line of marchers made their way into downtown Seattle escorted by Seattle police on bicycles and motorbikes. The demonstrators held signs with images of Dr. King while they chanted anti-police brutality and anti-racism slogans.
The marchers converged on the Federal Courthouse around 2PM, where spoken words artists Celestine Ezinkwo (cryout.net), Christopher Robinson, Mike Davis, Derrick White, and poet Nikkita Oliver performed on a portable stage set up on a flatbed truck. Washington Middle School Vice Principal Tia Yarborough also performed spoken word.
Speakers at this rally included Claude Burfect, Sarah Scott, Linda Johnson, Jose' Selgado, Juan Jose' Bocanegra and Seattle public school teacher Jesse Hagopian.
Hagopian told the rally participants, "We know that Martin Luther King would have been out in the streets with the protesters in Ferguson taking the rubber bullets."
The Garfield High School teacher continued, "Martin Luther King's legacy is one of direct action - of confrontation against injustice, a man who was arrested over 30 times facing down this racist system."
Hagopian referred to the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri as a "lynching".
He criticized Missouri Governor Jay Nixon for invoking the name of MLK during the US national holiday honoring the civil rights leader's birthday. (abcnews.go.com/...)
"The man who sent in the National Guard to put down the protests in Ferguson."
Hagopian was also critical of Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson (www.nbcnews.com/...) for speaking in honor of MLK while "ignoring the reality of what he stood for."
A man named Anthony also spoke and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority were represented.
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