Dozens from New Haven participated in the five-decade long tradition of honoring the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday morning.
The first Love March took place less than two years after King’s assassination in 1968, and has carried on annually, in all kinds of weather, and even during the COVID pandemic.
Rev. Kennedy Hampton, pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, led the way. He said it is a joyful march exemplifying the words of the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”
“We can come together — people of all races, creeds and colors — we can come together and continue to fight this discrimination, this racism, whether it’s systematic or not,” Hampton said.
The march was founded by his father, Rev. George W. Hampton. This year, the march was followed by a service inside the church.