The Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Foundation wrapped up a week of “MLK2026” festivities with its annual procession on Monday, Jan. 19. The commemorative march spanned a mile-long route through San Francisco’s SoMa district, beginning at 11 a.m. near the San Francisco Caltrain Terminal and ending at Yerba Buena Gardens. Marchers then had the opportunity to participate in several different activities, including the celebration program “Music and the Movement” in the Blue Shield of California Theater, the MLK Music Festival at the main Yerba Buena Gardens open stage and a nearby Health & Wellness Festival.
The Music Festival and other afternoon events were preceded by an interfaith commemoration at 11:45 a.m. on the Great Lawn at Yerba Buena Gardens, which was hosted by the San Francisco Interfaith Council and included speeches from civic leaders like San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and 11th congressional district representative Nancy Pelosi, as well as live music from the Glide Memorial Church Ensemble.
“We are living through another inflection point in our city and our country,” Lurie said. “In a world that is increasingly rewarding hatred, rage and hardened identities, hope and collaboration have become courageous acts. Each of us carries that calling to serve. Each of us has the capacity to extend grace. Dr. King understood this instinctively and lived it courageously. He provided an example for me and for all of us. Now, more than 60 years after the Civil Rights Movement, we carry an awesome responsibility to keep Dr. King’s legacy alive. We honor him through marches and gatherings like this one, but the truest measure of that legacy is how we show up for one another each and every day.”
