6th Annual Martin Luther King Youth Day held in Santa Cruz

The NAACP Santa Cruz Branch and Resource Center for Nonviolence held the 6th annual Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Day on Saturday.

Organizers say the day is not only about educating the youth about Dr. King and his philosophy, but a day to encourage people to use their voice. “Our biggest stance here at the resource center is that individuals have power, especially youth because they have a really unique perspective and they’re going to be the ones leading us into the future,” says Drew Glover with the Resource Center for Nonviolence.

Alijah, a 6th grader who attended the event today, says he looks up to MLK and wants to follow in his footsteps, “he was a really good person who fought for black peoples rights and he was an important leader. I want to have a huge impact when I grow up.”

Glover says close to 200 people attend the event each year, but that’s not how they measure the success, “If we can impact even one person that turns around and becomes a powerful agent of change in the community, then that is a smashing success for the event.”

There will be a march in Santa Cruz for MLK day hosted by the NAACP and Santa Cruz Police Department on Monday. The March starts at 10am on Pacific Avenue between Cathcart and Cedar Streets.

To learn more about the Resource Center for Nonviolence visit rcnv.org.