Major march planned in Philly for MLK day

Philadelphia gave birth to the idea of Martin Luther King’s birthday as a day of service. But this year, in the wake of Ferguson and other incidents, an area grass-roots coalition is looking to revive Dr. King’s legacy of street protest. 

The group POWER — Philadelphians Organized to Witness Empower and Rebuild — anticipate about 10,000 people to march down Broad Street on Jan. 19, the day set aside to honor King.

The goal is to send a message to those in power, as King himself did, said the Rev. Mark Tyler of Philadelphia.

“Persons have been very frustrated over the last few months as it relates to events in Ferguson and Staten Island,” Tyler said. “We’re coming out to march to show this is more than a moment, this is really a movement.”

Tyler, the pastor at Mother Bethel AME Church, said marchers will be seeking to fulfill King’s dream of  equality for all.

“Remembering, for many in this country, those promises have not completely been fulfilled,” he said.

The march will begin at the school district headquarters on North Broad and end with a rally at Independence Hall.