Cincinnati officials are looking for community partners on violence prevention initiatives. The programs are the result of a city task force that's been meeting weekly to discuss youth violence since last July, after a mass shooting at Smale Riverfront Park involving several young people.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March and Program Cincinnati's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March, presented by the MLK Coalition, leaves from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and makes its way to Washington Park. Once the march concludes, there will be an interfaith prayer service at the park followed by a program at Music Hall at noon. Due to the rise in COVID cases, the program will not be open to the public but will stream on the coalition's website. Iris Roley, a local social activist who focuses on police reform and was an original member of the Black United Front, is the keynote speaker. Metro will join the march and motorcade with two buses, including its Rosa Parks Bus, to help those who can't walk the full distance.
After the march through Downtown, Mayor Aftab Pureval was invited to speak to the crowd at Washington Park and said he's proud of the progress toward racial equity the city is making.
The MLK Coalition is hosting a virtual program and march for the 47th annual MLK Day Commemorative Program. This year's theme is "Your freedom and my freedom are bound together."