Thousands showed up today in Denver amid freezing cold and snow flurries to participate in the city’s 23rd annual MLK Marade to honor slain civil-rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The celebration kicked off at 10 a.m. in City Park at the “I Have a Dream” monument.
John Simonet, a retired director of the Denver Sheriff’s Office and former safety manager for the city, was among those who gathered and marched to pay tribute to King.
“I have a dream — that’s why I’m here,” Simonet said. “I still have it.”
And so do a great many others, based on the size of the crowd.
Some participants danced and swayed to the rhythm of gospel music played over a public address system. Others carried colorful signs of hope, celebration and peace.
There also were numerous signs for presidential candidates — most supporting Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dennis Kucinich.
As marchers made their way along East Colfax Avenue on the 2 mile route past cafes, barber shops, stores, offices, residences and bars, people watched from behind windows and waved in support.
A drum and marching corps pounded out a powerful beat, and a little girl, about 3 years old, danced on a snow-covered parking lot as her dad stood behind her.
At the end of the Marade in Civic Center, dignitaries including former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb addressed the crowd.
King was assassinated 40 years ago — on April 4, 1968 — in Memphis, Tenn. The January Marade and holiday mark King’s birth on Jan. 15, 1929. He would have been 79.
King’s “I Have a Dream” speech — given in Washington, D.C., in 1963 — helped galvanize the civil-rights movement. Considered by historians as one of the greatest orators in American history, King was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1964.
Colorado recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a state holiday in 1984. In 2004, King was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
