MOSES LAKE — The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was commemorated Monday with a march through a part of downtown Moses Lake and a service at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

The march drew about 40 people, with Moses Lake Police Department Chief Fuhr and officers directing traffic, while the church service attracted 50 to 60 people.

The events are a longstanding tradition in Moses Lake – Charlie Jones, the president of the organizing committee, said he’s been involved in the planning for more than 40 years.

Traditionally, it’s celebrated with an evening program, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced some adjustments, and a march was added in 2021.

Jones said people asked him if he’s ready to retire from the committee, but he can’t, he said, because King’s vision is still unfulfilled.

Jones also said people asked him what King would think of contemporary America, and he thought King would be disappointed and cited King, who said people must learn to live together.

A tradition of the MLK Jr. observation is the recitation of King’s August 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Plasido Lindsey, pastor of the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, has delivered the speech for the last few years.

Lindsey said it’s exciting to know King’s dream is still alive, but the country needs to do a better job of making the dream become a reality.

Debra Randolph, a member of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, was the keynote speaker. Randolph said part of King’s legacy is the search for justice and righteousness, and the search is still going on today locally, as well as across the country.

Homelessness, mental health, and poverty are all issues a lot of people ignore, she said, but they shouldn’t. She urged people to work to help the community and address injustice. That’s not work which should be confined to one day a year, Randolph said.

“Today is the day we have to put these things in action,” she said.

The afternoon service also featured musical performances from Glory Jones, who sang two solos, and the Tony Reino Jazz Quartet. Organizing committee member Louis Logan led the attendees in singing “We Shall Overcome.”