Occupy protesters from Occupy Wall Street and other factions of the movement took time on Monday to march in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr..
In Manhattan hundreds of occupiers marched in what they called “Occupy the Dream” as they stopped occasionally to chant “The banks got bailed out, we got sold out.”
While the day was marked with mostly peaceful marching at least two people were arrested in New York City.
Speaking about its motivation behind the Occupy march for MLK day the group said in a statement:
“Dr. King dedicated the last months of his life to planning a campaign for the right of all to a decent-paying job.”
Here’s a video of protesters marching as they sing “This Little Light Of Mine”:
[iframe src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/f80oo097MnQ” width=”560? height=”315?]
In the meantime schoolchildren played We Shall Overcome on violins at New York’s African Burial Grounds, the very same spot where the Occupy protest started.
The Obama’s were also in the on celebrations as President Obama, Michelle and Malia spent time at a mostly black school in Washington DC where they build a reading nook. The President said of the celebration:
“For us to be able to come together as a community … that’s ultimately what makes us the strongest, most extraordinary country on earth.”
As if often the case during Martin Luther King day much of the protests around the country focused on equality. In South Carolina protesters gathered outside of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where they denounced voter ID laws that discriminate against poor black voters.
Did you do anything special to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?