LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Lynchburg community harvested unity Saturday in the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting a walk and celebration.
Gathering at the edge of the Martin Luther King Jr. bridge, a crowd of Lynchburg residents got ready to walk in unity.
The event was postponed due to winter weather last month. But Dr. James Camm, the director of One Community One Voice, insisted they come together to honor the legacy of MLK.
“He looked at it that it should be a melting pot of no color and that’s what we stand for,” Camm said. “And we’re expecting the same thing.”
As a resident of Lynchburg for the past 25 years, the city’s Police Chief Ryan Zuidema said the walk on Fifth Street is significant.
“We want to continue to build trust and make sure that our folks feel comfortable engaging with our officers on all levels,” he said.
The crowd gathered near Federal Street where various vendors stood and music sparked dancing.
Four-year-old Bruno unleashed his creativity with every brushstroke at the art booth and 8-year-old Xavier gained hands-on learning with wood carving.
It’s a vision University of Lynchburg head women’s soccer coach Todd Olsen is proud to see.
“We’ve been such a divisive nation for so long and anything that can bring unity to our community is just a great day,” he said.
After seeing different generations interact, Camm hopes this will be the start of a new tradition.
“That’s the powerful part,” Camm said. “That lets us know if we just do things together, we can make a lot of headway. We all have one thing in common. We want to all live with peace and have a great Lynchburg. So, this is a very good beginning.”