Modesto march and banquet celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The weather was kind to those who gathered Monday afternoon for a Modesto march honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday that bears his name.

The MLK Unity March began at the Helen White Trail on California Avenue and went perhaps a quarter mile to the King-Kennedy Memorial Center, where an awards banquet was held. The banquet benefits the youth group Order of the Knights of Pythagoras, which according to its website is “committed to developing and training leadership and other life skills through mentoring and community service.”

The banquet occurred past Bee deadline, but speakers were expected to include California Sens. Marie Alvarado-Gil and Susan Eggman, U.S. Rep. John Duarte, City Councilman Jeremiah Williams, Modesto City Schools Trustee John Ervin III, NAACP President Wendy Byrd, former Modesto City Councilman Tony Madrigal and the Honorable Grand Master David San Juan of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California. The Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons sponsors the Order of the Knights of Pythagoras.

This story was originally published January 16, 2023 at 1:05 PM.