A FINE DAY FOR PEOPLE-WATCHING, SIGN-READING . . . & REMEMBERING
Marchers gathering on a sunshiny San Francisco morning (Author photo)
Walking shoes? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Enthusiasm? Check.
The annual Martin Luther King Day San Francisco celebration kicked off on a balmy holiday morning with a walk of a mile or so ending at downtown’s Yerba Buena Gardens, site of the city’s waterfall memorial to King. (Speeches, music, politicians, Check . . .) The march commemorates the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march; that one, though, was 54 miles.
(Author photo)
Sign-spotting was almost as much fun as running into old friends among the several thousand walkers. The sign above, waved with gusto by a four-year-old getting a free lift in his dad’s wagon, features an MLK quote, “The time is always right for doing what is right.”
Many of my favorites were on the T-shirts of young walkers, or piggy-back riders like this one testing the strength of another energetic dad (below.)
(Author Photo)
The event, co-sponsored by the San Francisco Interfaith Council for several decades, was held for the first time post-pandemic last year, but this year’s celebration brought out enthusiastic crowds and voices reminiscent of earlier, multi-thousand-crowd days.
MLK Day became a national holiday in 1986, celebrated on the third Monday of January. This year’s observance, though, fell on his actual January 15th birthday; King would have been 95.
Not to be outdone, I occasionally hoisted my own sign (Thanks, Alice Walker, for this good quote.)
(Friend-of-author Photo)
But I really wanted this one:
Franny, you’re the best! I wish I could have joined you.
Another day, another walk; we’re due 😊