Hundreds rally around life, legacy of MLK

Thelezia Folse

Hundreds of parish residents took to the streets on Monday to honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The marchers traveled from Luling to Hahnville, a distance of more than two and a half miles. While 150 people marched, more than 400 showed up at a rally that

Around 150 parish residents marched on River Road from the West Bank Bridge Park in Luling to the Eual J. Landry Alternative Program Center in Hahnville to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday.

A rally, which drew more than 400 people, was held at the end of the march, with guest speaker Merlyna Adams, who is the principal of St. Rose Elementary. Adams has persevered after losing her hands and feet to sepsis.

“People need to remember that the country was at a very backwards stage at one time. Black people were denied our rights as citizens of this country...and because of the efforts of Dr. King and many other civil rights workers and people who formed a movement...America was transformed,” said Kamau Odinga, a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Organization of St. Charles Parish.