The spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy was reignited within the heart of Pittman-Sullivan Park on the east side, where the MLK Commission hosted a gathering called 'Coming Together Working Beyond the March.' This event came on the heels of the cancellation of the 37th annual commemorative march, offering the community an alternative engagement with social justice education and action. According to KENS 5, Mia Morris, commemorative program chair for the event, emphasized that even though we come together and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King we’re not done yet.

The event's focus on youth involvement was highlighted by MLK Commission’s youth chair Tyrone Darden who underscored the essential nature of engaging the younger generation, “I don’t even think ‘important’ is the word we should use," Darden said, "I think it’s non-negotiable. The model I grew up under was the village model. The village wasn’t just one person, one household, it was the entire community embracing different roles. And I do feel like we got away from our multi-generational connections.”

While the MLK Commission event centralized on fostering communal ties and a multi-generational approach to advocacy through its two-day program, over in Lubbock, students like Dinger prepared for their rite of passage. “Having the camp-out experience means a lot,” Dinger told Everything Lubbock, his tent fitted out with a heater, speaker, and cot among other creature comforts to sustain the long wait until the game.

Debra Seward, MLK Commission March chair, summarized the ethos of their efforts: “Working beyond the March was reimagining what we could do beyond the March and this is what we decided to come up with - two days of community.”