Ferguson and Selma.
The protests in cities nationwide following the 2014 police shooting of an unarmed black man in Missouri and the civil rights marches of 50 years ago that led to the Voting Rights Act.
Utahns who attended a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event Monday said the connection between these events is obvious and unmistakable.
"If feel this is another part of the movement," said Tanesha Tyler, a black student at Westminster College, who joined more than 50 others who marched to honor King and protest what they see as police brutality that all too often targets African Americans. "If I say the pledge that says 'for liberty and justice for all,' I want that to be true anywhere in the world."
These marchers were diverse in race, age and ability and they loudly chanted "black lives matter" and "hands up, don't shoot" as they marched through a few blocks of Sugar House, surrounding the campus of this private college.
Among them was Gary Marquardt, an associate professor of history. His wife and his two adopted boys, 10 and 5, are black.
"Our family is a result of Dr. King's work," said Marquardt, who is white. He has brought his boys to the annual march for a few years now and, while they consider it "humdrum," he hopes they one day see the connection between these actions and those of King 50 years ago that led to advances in legal equality for black Americans.
"This way, at least they get a taste of it," he said, and a sense that the fight hasn't ended. He said it's an "organic connection" to use a day to honor King to also protest events such as the shooting in Ferguson. In that case, a grand jury declined to charge the police officer and there remains a dispute over whether that officer needed to use deadly force. Ferguson has become a rallying cry for people who believe the police do not treat black men the same as others in our society.
Tamara Stevenson, an assistant professor of communication at Westminster, listed the black men in her life — her father, her brothers and uncles, cousins and friends.
"I wonder if law enforcement will protect them or hunt them," she told the crowd. "If it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us."
Organizers needed a permit to march and a police escort. One of those officers said it was unfortunate that these Utahns were tying a remembrance of Dr. King to a protest of police actions, before saying he did not want to be interviewed or identified.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank was among 10 law enforcement officers who attended the NAACP Salt Lake Branch's 31st annual Martin Luther King memorial luncheon. He noted that he is a member of the civil rights organization. He said protesters shouldn't lump all police into one group.
"The reason we don't have the problems you see in other parts of the country is by building relationships just like this," Burbank said.
Provo Police Chief John King has been an NAACP member for 10 years. He said everyone should follow King's example and treat people as individuals, though he said the dialogue started by the Ferguson protests is healthy.
"I think it is appropriate to have a national dialogue," he said. "If we are talking, things are going to get better."
That's a view shared by Jeanetta Williams, president of the NAACP's Salt Lake Branch. She made a special effort to invite law enforcement officials to the luncheon, which drew a crowd of about 400. And she noted their attendance in her remarks, thanking them for meeting with the NAACP in September to discuss the use of body cameras by police officers. Many of Utah's law enforcement agencies have ramped up their use of such cameras.
Williams said their use will help the community know what really happens when citizens have an altercation with the police and they should help the police see if officers are responding to training.
The NAACP isn't going to be as aggressive as the protesters.
"We are not going to go out and outright criticize the police. We want a working relationship. We want the ability to sit down and talk," Williams said. "Not every police officer is a bad police officer, and not every one is a good one either."
Not everyone at Monday's march was tied to Westminster College. Braden Facemeyer, a 21-year-old white student at Utah Valley University, drove to Salt Lake City from his home in Lindon to participate. He said he's an admirer of King's and he hopes that as people push for change, they keep his example in mind.
"I think Dr. King had a lot of really good principles," Facemeyer said. "He stood for non-violence and encouraged everyone to be a good person."
Protesters have kept King in mind, said Pratik Raghu, a senior at Westminster, who held a sign that read "We're standing our ground." He pointed at the march and referenced other actions, such as die ins, where protesters lay on the ground and refuse to move, as ideas that harken back to the Civil Rights era, which he noted has been memorialized in a movie this year. "Selma" focuses on the marches in Alabama that preceded the Voting Rights Act and the effectiveness of non-violent resistance.
He said that movie and King's actions show a path forward to the protesters of today, who should "echo King's message of peace, love and unity."
mcanham@sltrib.com
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Westminster College freshman student Tanesha Tyler, of Logan, sings an original poem she wrote at the start Westminster College's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Onlookers stand in support as the public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Westminster College celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with their annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Marchers gathered in front of Westminster College's Converse Hall in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Charles Tyler, of Logan participates in Westminster College's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015. Tyler's daughter, Tanesha Tyler, was a student speaker during the event.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Westminster College freshman student Tanesha Tyler, of Logan, hugs her father, Charles Tyler, after she sang and read two original poems at the start Westminster College's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune A woman watches from a laundromat as the public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Westminster College freshman student Tanesha Tyler, of Logan, sings an original poem she wrote at the start Westminster College's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The public joined students and faculty of Westminster College in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day during the college's annual march in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Salt Lake City, Monday, January 19, 2015.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Nicole Francis, program manager for Smart Global Solutions and NASA Research and Education Support Services speaks at The NAACP Salt Lake Branch 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon. Francis manages a $135 million minority business contract tied for NASA's scientific and educational endeavors.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Anna Burkholder, chief executive officer of YWCA Utah, accepts the Rosa Parks Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19. She gets a hug from Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake NAACP branch.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Anna Burkholder, chief executive officer of YWCA Utah, left, accepts the Rosa Parks Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19 from Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake NAACP branch.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Nicole Francis, program manager for Smart Global Solutions and NASA Research and Education Support Services speaks at The NAACP Salt Lake Branch 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon. Francis manages a $135 million minority business contract tied for NASA's scientific and educational endeavors.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Pastor Corey J. Hodges of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church accepts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Carlie Christensen, Acting United States Attorney District of Utah, left, is greeted by Jeanetta Williams, President of NAACP Salt Lake Branch, right. In center is keynote speaker Nicole Francis, program manager for Smart Global Solutions and NASA Research and Education Support Services. The NAACP helds its 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial luncheon at Little America in Salt Lake City Monday January 19.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune The Most Revenend John Chares Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, left, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, and Christine Durham, former Utah Supreme Court Justice attend the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Pastor Corey J. Hodges of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church accepts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial luncheon. He gives a hug to Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake NAACP branch.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Anna Burkholder, chief executive officer of YWCA Utah, accepts the Rosa Parks Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19.
Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Pastor Corey J. Hodges of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church accepts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Award at the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial luncheon in Salt Lake City Monday January 19.
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