Oakwood residents joined Dayton’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial March
under the Oakwood Inclusion Coalition (OIC) banner. Participants marched along Third
Street from the Charles R. Drew Health Center, crossed the Third Street Bridge, and
continued to the campus of Sinclair Community College. This year’s dry and warmer
weather allowed residents to meet other marchers representing groups such as the
National Conference for Community & Justice, the NAACP, the Beavercreek high school
basketball team, the Dayton Area Korean Association, and The Dakota Center. All
participants embodied the spirit messaged on the signs the different groups carried, such as
the one displayed by members of the College Hill Church: A racial rainbow of peace.
This march was the first for OIC member Jane Dunwoodie. “I always wanted to
participate in MLK events, and now that I’m retired, I can,” said Dunwoodie. She
recalled the day of King’s assassination. She hid inside her bedroom closet and cried
for over an hour. “I couldn’t fathom why a man with such a good heart and pure
intentions could be killed because he preached that people shouldn’t be judged by the
color of their skin.” Dunwoodie got emotional just recounting her story.
Another longtime Oakwood resident, Bill Meeres, came to the march, as he does every
year, hoping to meet some new people. He explained that the march helps him make
connections and learn what new things are going on in the community. Meeres is also
motivated to get up early on a January winter’s day by his desire to share his
experience walking alongside King in Frankfort, Kentucky, back in 1964. He has stayed
committed to many of the principles King espoused during his lifetime and wants to
keep his legacy alive.
The general feel of the crowd was one of reaching out to people, learning why they had
come to be together, and showing respect for a man who made such a big difference in
our country’s history. As OIC Chair Madeline Iseli has frequently commented, “My family
found it inspiring to be among people who actively support the values King advanced to
be visible to the larger community.”
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