Marching for change: Peace march planned for MLK Day

By Asia Allen-King
Contributor

“Students came in upset about the results of the election so we did a project with
magazines and construction paper to help them voice their opinions,” said Lynn Settles, art teacher at Ypsilanti High School.

Students at Ypsilanti High School have been preparing for a silent march since Nov. 9, the day after the presidential election. These students want to use the power of art to speak to everyone they can reach out to and teach about the history that they have learned and reactions to the election.

Students want to express their voices about how they feel without actually using a voice full of shouts and anger.

“With the weather being cold; the students have decided that they aren’t going to complain they are just going to dress warm and show up because thinking about what our ancestors had to do, it’s much more than this,” Lynn Settles said.

There will be a series of events offered after the march where the students will show off their art that they have done leading up to the day.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m. there will be a meet and greet with the elders at
Ypsilanti Community High School in the art room 206.

On Thursday, Jan. 12, there will be after school sign making from 3:30–6 p.m. to get everyone who’s interested to come to the high school and join the students with making powerful signs.

The students will march on Monday, Jan. 16, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The march will start at the water tower at 9 a.m. in Ypsilanti and the crowd will travel all the way to the YES gallery,
(Ypsilanti Experimental Space) on 8 N. Washington St. behind MIX.

MIX is a store located downtown Ypsilanti on Michigan Ave. Frederick Douglass spoke three times there on the third floor. The floor is no longer there, but this year the 150th anniversary one of the speeches falls on MLK Day.

Leading the Peace March will be special guest, Rhea McCauley, Rosa Parks’ niece, and following the march there will be the students art show.

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