Hundreds in Vallejo honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day with march, weekend of celebrations

VALLEJO - Hundreds of Vallejo residents marched across the city Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day while calling for community unity in the face of national attacks on civil rights. 

The celebration, dubbed “Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way,” was organized by the NAACP Vallejo branch as “a community-powered observance that combines joy, learning, service, and nonviolent civic action.” 

The event was part of the 40th federal observation of the holiday, with some participants pointing to the urgency to honor King’s legacy amid rollbacks of civil rights and racial justice initiatives in federal agencies, corporations and universities. 

Vallejo’s multi-day celebration began Saturday at Hogan Middle School with a free youth basketball camp and panel with family games and programs. On Sunday, a special gospel service and concert was held at Union Baptist Church. 

Then on Monday, hundreds converged on Tennessee Street in Vallejo for the main event, a nearly two-mile march.

Rhonda Baker Hill of Fairfield was among those gathered around Wells Fargo Bank ready to walk through the cold morning fog. She said she was raised in Vallejo’s church community at Kyle's Temple AME Zion Church, and that this was her first time marching on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“This means a lot to me as a legacy, after my parents being a part of the march,” Baker Hill said. “This is my service to the community. Neither of my parents are here anymore, so I’m marching both for what Martin Luther King stood for and what my parents taught me.”

Terrell Bowman, president of the Kappa Omicron Lambda fraternity, said that he was proud to see many families joining the march with their children and grandchildren.

“Kids are walking with us today as part of the community service with the fraternity,” Bowman said. “It looks good to see how all the lineage that’s still here in Vallejo, and that continues to push forward.”

Vallejo Mayor Andrea Sorce and City Councilmembers Alexander Matias and Tonia Lediju also joined the march on foot. Lediju said in an interview that the celebration is a reminder of “how chaotic and fragile our democracy is.”

“What we have to continue to do is push for equality, and we have to live it each and every day,” Lediju said. “Unfortunately these days, people all don’t believe in the same civil liberties. And as a Black and brown community, we have to remember what was done by our ancestors.”

Sorce told Vallejo Sun that she thinks the march is an important show of community solidarity as millions participate nationally, facing growing federal pushback against many hard-won policies. 

Since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, which fell on Martin Luther King Day last year, the Republican president has taken stances against many diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and targeted Black-led cities for federal law enforcement operations. The National Park Service announced last month that it will no longer offer free admission to parks on King Day and Juneteenth.

“We need to show what good community governance and pluralism looks like,” Sorce said. “There’s just so many attacks on civil liberties at the national level. We have to take care of each other and come together as a community in the face of this toxic national environment that’s trying to roll us back.”

The march culminated with a program in a newly refurbished auditorium at Hogan Middle School led by keynote speaker Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James. The program also included musical celebrations, such as Fatima Hainef who performed using Tibetan singing bowls. The audience was encouraged to stand and join in singalongs of “I Can Feel the Love of God” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 

NAACP Vallejo branch President Patricia Hunter said it meant a lot that the NAACP was allowed to use the refurbished auditorium for this year’s celebration, as she is a Hogan alum. She said the turnout of not only many community organizations, but multiple generations of Vallejo families, showed the importance of mobilizing youth in continuing to uphold the values of the NAACP in the city’s organizations and politics.

“I’m a youth director at heart, and anything I touch the youth have to be involved in, because they have a voice,” Hunter added. “They should have a seat at the table when it comes to local politics.”

NAACP member Rhonda Rochon Smith, who is also a member of Black Women Organized for Political Action, said that the annual celebration slowly regrew after disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The branch has rebuilt local participation and momentum, she said.

“Vallejo has always been a leader for social justice in Solano County,” Rochon Smith said. “We’re just happy to have coordinated this opportunity where many organizations came together to plan it. We’re making sure the community can see we’re still living the dream of Dr. King.”