Ogden to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with breakfast and march

NEWS

Photos from the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast and March in Ogden in previous years. Provided by Ogden NAACP

Ogden — Ogden will honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with a breakfast and march on Monday, Jan. 19. The event, organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Ogden, will feature Bishop David O. McKinley, pastor at Second Baptist Church, as the keynote speaker. Breakfast begins at 9 a.m. at Ogden Union Station, and the march will proceed to the Ogden Amphitheater afterward.

The theme for this year is “Building Community, Uniting the Nation the Non-Violent Way.” From the NAACP’s perspective, “the central purpose of our annual march is to honor the life and Legacy of Dr King by moving his words into action to build the ‘Beloved Community’ he espoused,” said Betty Sawyer, president of the Ogden NAACP. “The march represents our public commitment to justice, equity, and dignity for all people.”

The march also symbolizes the fight for civil and human rights that continues today. Fifty-seven years after Dr. King’s assassination, Sawyer said it brings attention to ongoing challenges such as access to education, healthcare, housing, voting rights, and fair treatment under the law.

“While progress has been made, many of the issues Dr. King spoke about—economic inequality, racial injustice, access to opportunity, and the protection of democratic rights—are still very much present,” Sawyer said. “In many ways, it seems like we’re walking back in time and doing a full retreat on those things that we thought had been settled, the values that we all said we believed in.”

Another purpose for the march, Sawyer emphasized, is to ensure that today’s youth don’t have to relive the same negative experiences of inequality she, and her generation, had to endure. Beyond remembrance, she said Dr. King’s vision was about continued “moral courage and action in our own time.”

“Equity always starts locally,” Sawyer said, explaining why the event was and continues to be vital in Ogden. “Ogden has a long and diverse history, including communities that have experienced exclusion, displacement, and inequity—but also resilience, leadership, and forward progress.” She said it’s also an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and experiences of Black residents and other marginalized communities. Holding the march in Ogden reaffirms a commitment to the city’s forward progress.

“We get to amplify Ogden’s responsibility to ensure opportunity, dignity, and belonging for all who live here.” Sawyer said. “What a beautiful sight and spiritually uplifting it has been, marching together with neighbors, friends, strangers, and family, to publicly affirm that equity, justice, and compassion are shared local values, and that Dr. King’s legacy lives on through our everyday actions at the community level.”

Ogden City and Ogden City Recreation are long-time partners with Ogden NAACP in organizing the march which began at the Marshall White Center more than twenty years ago. Weber State University’s Center for Community Engaged Learning, the Black Student Union, its NAACP college chapter, and Project Success Coalition are also key contributors.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast and March will be held Monday, Jan. 19, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Avenue, in Ogden, Utah. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are encouraged.