Missoula speakers mark Martin Luther King Day and urge continued activism

Dozens of Missoula residents gathered Jan. 15 to mark Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and to press for continued activism on issues they said King took up, including racial justice, poverty, and opposition to war.

At the outdoor event, Robert Dez Freeman, speaking on behalf of the Black Student Union, said King’s “dream must become ours now,” and urged attendees not to treat the holiday as a once-a-year observance. “There are 365 days in a year, and it's going to take 365 days every year to keep Doctor King's dream alive,” Freeman said.

The gathering, organized by local community groups, brought together students, nonprofit staff and long-time activists who tied King's message of nonviolent social change to contemporary local and global issues. Speakers invoked King alongside other leaders and emphasized the need for ongoing community responsibility rather than waiting for government action. Freeman said, “If you're not a part of the solution, you're a part of the problem.”

Other presenters framed King’s legacy in religious and moral terms. The final speaker read Isaiah passages and called for hope and practical solidarity, asking the crowd to “hold each other's hands” and to remember victims of violence worldwide while working for “peace, for justice, for equality, for brotherhood, and for sisterhood.”

The program included appeals to sustain activism across multiple issues rather than confining remembrance to an annual ceremony. Several speakers noted that progress has been made on race relations and legislation, but they repeatedly said that work remains on issues ranging from domestic violence and hunger to environmental protection and militarization.

Organizers opened the mic to community members and encouraged participation in local groups such as the Black Student Union and other civic organizations listed during the program.