Seattle MLK Day organizers have turned to the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. for the message behind this year’s workshops, rally, and march from Garfield High School.

From the volunteer-run MLK Jr Organizing Coalition:

This powerful question comes from Dr. King’s 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?. In it, he warned that America stood at a dangerous crossroads—facing deep racism, poverty, militarism, and division. He challenged us to decide: would we descend into chaos, or would we build a community grounded in justice, democracy, and love? Nearly six decades later, we face a strikingly similar crossroads. Democracy itself is under attack—from voter suppression and political violence to laws rolling back hard-won rights. And even Dr. King’s own legacy is under attack, with his words often misused to silence the very struggles he gave his life to advance. That is why this year’s theme is so urgent. “Where do we go from here?” is not just history—it’s a question for us, right now.

The group’s 43rd annual celebration begins Saturday with a youth forum at Washington Hall followed by an opportunity fair and workshops Monday morning at Garfield High School before a 11 AM rally in the school’s gym and a march set to begin at 12:30 PM from the Garfield parking lot.

Around 4,000 people took part in the event last year.

Learn more at seattlemlkcoalition.org.

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