Marching with a purpose: NAACP to host annual "March for the Homeless"

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Sierra Marling

On Monday, Jan. 16 at 1 p.m.—Martin Luther King Day—The Richmond-Madison County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will host their "March for the Homeless."

This is the second year the organization will be hosting this march. According to Mitch Brown, who serves as the president of the NAACP's Richmond-Madison County branch, the march has been organized to encompass the spirit and legacy of Civil Rights Leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

To do this, they have created purposeful community partnerships with Madison Home Inc., Room in the Inn-Berea, the Madison County Tenants’ Union and the Richmond Human Rights Commission for the endeavor.

He explained, "The branch wanted to highlight some issues in the community that we felt like Dr. Martin Luther King would have highlighted. We wanted to bring some reverence to the march, instead of just making it a commemorative march — really marching with a purpose."

While most associate Martin Luther King Jr.'s work with improvements in the Black community, Brown emphasized that the late Baptist minister's legacy was one to be celebrated by all.

"Martin Luther King was marching for all people. Civil Rights was for everybody," he said.

The event will have the march for the homeless and unhoused while also taking donations for local housing efforts and hosting educational programming.Getting Ready

This year, the organization announced an additional partnership with the Madison County Tenants Union (MCTU), who will be hosting an MLK Art Party at Union Church on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. to create signs, banners, buttons, and practice marching songs before the march in Richmond.

Brown said of the partnership, "This is the first year that we’re partnering with the Madison County Tenants Union. So many are one paycheck from being homeless, so we wanted to highlight that."

The MCTU is working to give local tenants a voice in their communities, and a partnership with the NAACP — whose mission is to secure the political, educational, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons — aligns with this ideal.

According to MCTU volunteer Michael Harrington, the causes are intertwined. He explained, "Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. He was in Tennessee to support a sanitation workers’ strike. While there he built momentum for the then forthcoming Poor People's Campaign convergence in DC. The workers he supported were represented by AFSCME Local 1733. They were demanding higher wages and better treatment on the job. The vision he was working on in ‘68 with the Poor People's Campaign sought to bring together poor folks of all races for a better future for everyone. That radical vision always included housing and making sure we all have safe roofs over our heads and food in our bellies."

Those who have questions about accessibility or carpooling should reach out via their Facebook Page, titled Madison County Tenants Union.

March staging and donation collections will begin at 12 p.m. at the First Christian Church parking lot at 412 West Main Street in Richmond. The march will begin at 1 p.m.

Both of the local housi nonprofits expressed great thanks for being included in the honoring of Dr. King's legacy.

Mary Katherine Stinson, Vice President of the board at Room in the Inn-Berea, said, "We are grateful to be invited to participate in the NAACP's March for the Homeless and honor Dr. King's legacy of fighting for affordable housing. We thank everyone for their support."

The NAACP expressed in a news release that items given for donation will be given to those experiencing homelessness and should be new or very good condition items that have been freshly washed.

The local housing nonprofits Madison Home, Inc. and Room in the Inn-Berea have named various needs to serve their respective populations.

Madison Home is seeking men's jeans (30-34 waist), men's gloves, backpacks, and all sizes of sweatshirts, hoodies, long underwear, coats, and boxer underwear. Room in the Inn-Berea has similar needs and also requests new socks, rain gear, boots/winter shoes, sneakers, deodorant, shelf-stable high protein snacks, and deodorant for men and women.

Financial donations will also be welcome.

Educational programming related to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will include a 6:00 p.m. virtual program that will be livestreamed from the First Baptist Church Richmond – Francis St. Facebook page (facebook.com/fbcfrancisstrichmondky)

In addition, the NAACP local branch will announce the winners of county-wide middle school poster competition in honor of Dr. King recently judged at the NAACP's local branch meeting.

MCTU leader Tyrell Banks asserts that, "What we need is a reinvestment in our communities here in Madison county so that everyone can have a safe place to live."

To reinvest, that means that the work and support does not end on Monday. Locals can honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by reaching out to these organizations, and others like them, year round to donate their time, money, and gently used items.

These local organizations require citizen power to run, meaning that every volunteer hour is crucial to their operations.

"We have a lot of work to do in Kentucky," acknowledged Stinson. "We are honored to keep partnering with our very generous local community to provide services to our unhoused neighbors immediately, even as we work toward sustainable long term housing solutions in Madison County. Without them, we couldn't make the impact that we do."

In a direct call-to-action, Executive Director of MadisonHome, Inc. Melissa Sloan, said, "Martin Luther King fought for freedom and equality for all, and having fair, equal housing for our homeless community has to be part of that fight today if we want to continue the work that Mr. King gave his life fighting for."

For more information about MLK Day programming, connecting with MCTU, partnership opportunities, or questions, feel free to contact the President of the Richmond-Madison County Branch, Rev. Mitch Brown at [email protected].

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