MLK Commission organizes the ‘Coming Together Working Beyond the March’ event to address social justice

SAN ANTONIO — Following the cancellation of the what would have been the 37th annual commemorative march in January – the MLK Commission wanted another opportunity for the community to have access to necessary resources. This weekend they held the ‘Coming Together Beyond the March’ event at Pittman-Sullivan Park on the eastside. 

Everyone’s reason for joining may be different. Like for tenth grader Mikey Alexander.

“It’s very important that I know both sides of my cultures.” he said. “I’m half Samoan and half Black.”

But each purpose remains the same. Mia Morris is the commemorative program chair for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March.

“’Beyond the March’ for me means that even though that we come together and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King we’re not done yet.”

Some leaders feel including the community’s youth is necessary. Tyrone Darden is the youth chair for the MLK Commission.

“I don’t even think ‘important’ is the word we should use,” Darden said. “I think it’s non-negotiable. The model I grew up under was the village model. The village wasn’t just one person, one household, it was the entire community embracing different roles. And I do feel like we got away from our multi-generational connections.”

Alexander echoed Darden’s viewpoint.

“I feel like a lot of people these days are distant nowadays because of social media and stuff,” he said. “It’s a good thing if people come together and be more socially active.”

Social justice is an never-ending battle.

“It’s not just activism,” Morris said. “And it’s not just voting, it’s community work.”

MLK Commission March chair Debra Seward says this weekend’s event was a team effort to organize.

“Working beyond the March was reimagining what we could do beyond the March and this is what we decided to come up with – two days of community.”