Columbus MLK Day March Returns After COVID Cancelation Last Year

The annual Columbus MLK Day march is back this year after it was canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic.

It gets underway Monday at 4:30 p.m., beginning and ending at city hall.

State Senator and former Columbus City Council member Hearcel Craig is encouraged to see the march return.

Observing MLK Day is important, he said, because despite gains made for African Americans and other people of color, deep issues remain.

“I think we’ve got to be honest, I think this issue around voting rights and what so disturbs me is that history can and does repeat itself if we are not vigilant,” said Sen. Craig.

Sen. Craig is the keynote speaker at an MLK Open House hosted by the Ohio History Center, in partnership with the King Arts Complex. He will deliver remarks at 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m.

“Dr. King’s words were, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it does bend towards justice, but it does not bend by itself,'” said Sen. Craig.

“And so we have a responsibility, we have an obligation to ensure that we’re continuing to do all that we can to make sure that there’s fairness and equity.”

Unlike the march, the city’s annual MLK Birthday Breakfast will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., with a keynote address delivered by OSU president Kristina Johnson.