In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., a group of walkers carried flags and were escorted by police cars as part of the annual Freedom Walk.
The Freedom Walk, held on Sunday, Jan. 17, stretched from the base of the statues of Paul and Babe in Paul Bunyan Park and ended at the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC).
Upon their arrival at the AIRC, participants were given a chili dinner and began to meet for the program.
The formal program began at 3:30 p.m. with a pipe ceremony by Paul Day and "Honor Song" preformed by the Kingbird Singers. After an introduction by Stacy Keenan, the Central Elementary Choir preformed songs they had learned about civil rights and equality, including “Let There Be Voices Sing” and “Back of the Bus.”
Afterwards, the keynote speaker, Dr. Tony Treuer, opened his speech by speaking Ojibwe. Dr. Treuer is a graduate of Bemidji State University and teaches Ojibwa on campus.
“I have a dream when one day I’ll be able to do this all in Ojibwa,” Treuer. He feels that in some ways Ojibwa is "still working its way out of the back of the bus."
Dr. Treuer talked about how it is important to reflect upon what people have accomplished and to remember how diverse the world is. He believed that Martin Luther King Jr.’s biggest strength was his ability to reach out to other races and peoples. People of every race and background have and are still fighting for the acceptance, regardless of who they are and where they come from.
Near the end of the program, the winner of an essay contest about diversity read her entry. Katrina Ping wrote an essay about her life struggles with accepting who she is and how she fell into depression. She went on to say that she will fight for equality and against the stereotype she had been placed into.
The program ended with a performance of "Traveling Song" by the Kingbird Singers.
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