54 Years After the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Casper Keeps Marching

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.

Now, 54 years later and over 1,200 miles away from that tragic spot, the City of Casper remembers the man who dreamed of a less hateful world.

Jimmy Simmons said the earliest marches happened in Casper over 30 years ago.

Simmons said the now-annual MLK Day march was started by Kenny Morgan.

"It was just him and a few people that got here and marched to recognize what [King] did."

The event has grown a lot since then.

The sun was shining brightly through the clouds as a long line of marches cried out:

We shall overcome, we shall overcome

We shall overcome someday.

Oh deep in my heart, I do believe

We shall overcome someday.

 

We are not afraid, we are not afraid today.

Oh deep in my heart, I do believe

We shall overcome someday.

 

ART 321 showcased artwork from participants with messages about peace, equality, and justice for all.

The marchers ended up at the United Methodist Church and heard from Debra Bulluck, a lawyer who received her degree at the University of Wyoming.

Bulluck worked at several area nonprofits, including as Emergency Management Coordinator at Serve Wyoming and as Branch Director at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Wyoming College of Law.

For the past 15 years the anti-poverty program AmeriCorps VISTA has been organizing the march.

This year they're putting together hygiene bags for Project Homeless Connect in line with their mission to lift communities out of poverty.