Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
We are members of a species that not too many years ago spent a lot more time outside in the presence of one another, whether it was sipping tea on a front porch or taking evening strolls around the neighborhood.
Today, it’s pretty rare for us to walk more than a few blocks, and even more unusual to have the opportunity to do so “in community,” but both Clovis and Portales will be marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday with commemorative marches.
Clovis is also hosting a scholarship breakfast on Saturday in honor of the late civil rights leader.
First the marches — and, by the way, thoughtful scheduling allows for enthusiastic pacers to participate in both.
Folks walking in Clovis should plan to be at Potter Park at 601 Upsilon St., Clovis, in time for the 9 a.m. opening prayer. The walking route is a little under a mile, and will take 20-30 minutes.
A drum line from Clovis High School is scheduled to lead the way and set the pace, according to Yvette Gardner-Pickett, a member of the Clovis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, which hosts the event.
Marchers will head north on Upsilon, jog west on West Seventh Street, then turn back north on —appropriately — Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The route continues until it turns left on Cesar Chavez Drive. About eight blocks later, it’s right on Gila before finishing at St. John Missionary Baptist Church at 1215 Gila St.
The pastor of that church — Kent Creamer — will lead a brief service to close the event.
Portales’ march begins at 5 p.m. Monday at the Memorial Building, 200 E. Seventh St., Portales, and is about a mile and a half in length.
Participants will stroll from Abilene Street to West First, then through downtown and out to the campus of Eastern New Mexico University, where a program titled “A Legacy of Strength: A Future of Action” is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Campus Union Building.
The Portales festivities are co-sponsored by the Portales Cultural Affairs Committee and the ENMU Multicultural Affairs Office.
The Clovis MLK Commission also hosts an annual scholarship breakfast, which was held online the last few years, Gardner-Pickett said, but returns in-person at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Clovis High School cafeteria, 1900 N. Thornton St., Clovis.
Tickets are $15 and may be purchased in advance or at the door. The program will be presented by Col. Terence G. Taylor, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base.
I have participated a couple of times in the Portales march and highly recommend the experience.
There’s something quite special about passing through your own community on foot. It’s made even more meaningful by sharing the experience with others as a gentle way to honor a man who gave us words like these:
“I have decided to stick with love,” Martin Luther King Jr. once said. “Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
Betty Williamson believes in the power of good people coming together. Reach her at:
