About 300 people packed into Seed of Faith Ministries and dozens more stood outside before taking a community walk through the Grant neighborhood Monday afternoon, celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and calling for peace in Salem. The Community Celebration and Peace March was a way to bring together Salem residents and “break down that wall of fear and of the unknown” to make the city a more welcoming and inclusive place for everyone, according to Ashley Dunn, vice president of the Salem-Keizer NAACP. From beginning to end, positivity was in the air. Participants appeared to relish a shared sense of community as they came together, driven by their own motivations toward a common goal of peace. The event was a continuation of a joint effort by Salem-area law enforcement, community organizations and service providers to reduce deadly violence that has risen in the city in recent years. Several local leaders participated, including Oregon Sen. Deb Patterson, Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack and Salem-Keizer School District Superintendent Andrea Castañeda. A local youth group, Girl Power, helped kick off the event with a praise dance. That was followed by remarks from RJ Hampton, president of the local NAACP chapter. “This is a call to action. Not just for ourselves, but our community as a whole. If there is a time that we need each other, it is now,” Hampton said. “I stand here today, looking each of you all in the eye, begging you, asking you, daring you, challenging you to give service to one and service to all.” RJ Hampton, President of NAACP Salem-Keizer Branch, speaks at the MLK Peace Walk program held at Seed of Faith Ministries in Salem on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 (Laura Tesler/ Special to Salem Reporter) He urged participants to not just meet new people during the event, but to leave with a plan to “get up, get out and get active.” “Dr. King did not dream of making America ‘great again.’ The time is now for us to make America great, period,” he said. And then they marched, taking a loop just under 1 mile around the neighborhood.  Firefighters passing by honked from their truck, showing support to the walking crowd. At the corner of Northeast Summer and Hood Streets, a family of four held a black and white sign that said “peace,” accompanied by a heart. A recently retired art therapist, Christine Young said she has been trying to find a new purpose in her life. She recalled attending her first peace walk in 1972.  Monday’s event coincided with the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Young said the recent election made her concerned about potential impacts on people of color and immigrant communities. She felt compelled to attend the peace walk as one way to contribute to her community. “I’d better at least make an effort. I can’t just let this go,” she said. Salem resident LJ Anderson said King’s legacy of fighting for the underdog and his sacrifice continues to live on. She said she was pleased by the heavy turnout for the peace walk. “I think we have to stay involved even if we don’t know what the result is,” she said. John Dipierro said his kids would have joined him at the event if they didn’t have to work. He still came alone, wanting to show support and help keep King’s dream alive.  Dipierro said he believes the U.S. was built to be just and righteous. He recalled a quote from King, who said, “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” “We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Dipierro said. Keizer resident Esperance Kouka said he attended the event in honor of what he considered a historic day. “I’m very passionate about justice and peace, and today is all about celebrating justice and peace,” he said. Audience members applaud at the end of RJ Hampton’s speech at the MLK Peace Walk program held at the Seed of Faith Ministries in Salem on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 (Laura Tesler/ Special to Salem Reporter) Peace walks in recent months have been taking place on a weekly basis throughout Salem, with another scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 25, in the Highland neighborhood. Dates and times for upcoming walks are listed on the Salem Leadership Foundation’s website. After the march concluded, a smaller, but engaged group shuffled back into the church for a discussion led by Kyle Dickinson, the leadership foundation’s executive director, and Ray White, board president of the BE-BLAC Foundation and leader of the coaching program Inclusive Leadership By Design. Dickinson told the crowd that the walks are a way to be present in places that have been impacted by violence and “find the beauty in those spots that have historically been categorized in a very different way.” He asked the crowd to talk in small groups about how they felt participating in the peace walk. “I felt a validation in the fact that we can come together,” one audience member said, addressing the crowd. But he said walking the streets won’t make a difference “if we don’t do the work every single day.” White then asked the crowd to discuss how the event shaped their perspective. After a brief discussion, one woman asked how the community can join in similar gatherings more frequently. “I feel very hopeful. I’m grateful to be here,” she said. Another woman, speaking on behalf of her small group, said they loved to see people from all different backgrounds coming together for the peace march. “We all just felt that we’re really proud of the community,” she said. Dickinson said that when people walk together, have conversations and make connections, “community health improves.”  “People start to trust each other. Violence reduces. We have to keep the conversation going,” he said. “We have to keep committing to go to spaces where we will see another person and connect with them, no matter what place we find ourselves in or what’s going on inside. We have to be able to find each other, talk to each other and look each other in the eye, ask good questions, and listen and connect.” Womack, the Salem police chief, said in an interview that the peace walks are bringing a positive presence to neighborhoods. He said reflecting on the significance of King’s legacy overlapped with the ongoing work toward community peace and violence reduction. “I’m always encouraged when I see people getting together like this, and the sense of community,” he said. “The planning and the participation of a peace walk brings people together, you meet new people and you build new relationships, and that strengthens your community.” Pastor Ronnie Brooks of To God Be the Glory Church closed out the event with a benediction. “Lord, let us not go home and go back into our silos. But Father, let us go out and let us start a conversation,” he said. Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053. 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