Evanston Residents March For Peace

The snow, wind, and freezing rain didn’t stop Evanston residents from marching for peace Monday morning.  People of all ages walked from the First Methodist Church of Evanston to the Music Institute of Chicago in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Michael James, who led the walk, thinks it’s very important for Evanston to come together on this special day. “I watched Martin Luther King Jr. speak when I was a little boy,” he said.  “I knew I needed to do something to keep his memory and message alive.”

At the end of the first part of the march, participants congregated shortly at the Nichols Concert Hall for a musical performance sponsored by Y.O.U. Inc.  They continued their march to the Second Baptist Church of Evanston around 11:30 a.m.

A number of Evanston children, celebrating a day off from school, attended the march. Accompanied by her family, 7-year-old Zoe Soderblom marched down Chicago Avenue holding a sign that read, “Be nice to each other.”  When asked why she decided to participate in the peace march, she pointed to her sign. 

The march concluded at the Second Baptist Church of Evanston with a MLK Interfaith Convocation with cheer led by James.  Participants chanted, "What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now."

Click the video at right to watch a video of the march.