Newark march on MLK Day. (Fight Back! News/Staff)

Newark, NJ - The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) marched and held a speaking program Jan.15 in observance of the 83rd anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An excellent turnout of 150 people representing many different organizations marched from the Lincoln Monument through the downtown area. The gathering marked the 204th day of POP’s Daily Picket for Jobs, Peace, Equality and Justice.

For the second year, the program was held in the chambers of the Newark Municipal Council. Councilpersons Mildred Crump and Ras Baraka spoke, as did representatives of the NAACP, the New Black Panther Party and others.

Veteran activist Amiri Baraka recounted a visit from Dr. King. Baraka was at home in the city’s South Ward, when he saw police cars drive past and heard helicopters overhead. A little later the doorbell rang. Baraka opened the door. Martin Luther King was standing there. “Hello, LeRoi,” he said. He wanted to talk about a united front within the Black Liberation Movement. King had recently met with Elijah Muhammad.

A few days later, Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee to support the strike of the city’s sanitation workers.