A walk to honor sacrifice

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People of all faiths and races are encouraged to join a commemorative walk on January 20. Marchers will meet at the Clarendon County Courthouse in Manning at 3:30 p.m., and the walk will start at 3:45 p.m. heading toward Trinity Church a block and a half away. During the walk, songs will be sung, and music will continue once everyone arrives at the church. An official program starts at 4 p.m. at the church. “We are hosting the walk to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement,” said Willie Briggs, a local officer within the NAACP. “When he went to a town, he asked people to gather and walk down the streets to city hall to protest in a non-violent way. This walk will honor him and all the people and churches who were involved in those walks in the face of persecution.” State Representative for District 91 Lonnie Hosey will speak on behalf of the NAACP. He will discuss their platform and what the NAACP is currently doing, is trying to do and has done over the last 100 years to bring bout integration throughout the nation. Hosey, a Marine Corps veteran, retired university administrator, past Most Worshipful Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons and President of the Greenbranch Christian Benevolent Society, will speak on his memories of the movement, as he grew up during that era. “Clarendon County was involved with that from the beginning,” said Briggs. “They fought the battle in court and won in court. It became the law to integrate from the east coast to the west coast.” According to Briggs, Hosey will speak about how the African American community was involved in the movement, highlighting how African Americans have suffered under the government while working within the government to make it a better America for all people, regardless of race or color. “Our state representative will speak on behalf of all races, of how we have come out of racism, bigotry and hate, leaving them in the past. We are rising up, not being violent, to live our true dream off of Martin Luther King’s story.” The organization has hosted a walk in Clarendon County before, and they hope to see a large turnout which includes people of every race from every community in the county. “We remember those who walked before us, so we could live like any other human being in American in peace,” said Briggs. “That’s what this march is all about.”