Sunday afternoon, I was cozied up in my apartment, watching the snowfall on the street below me and thinking to myself, “I absolutely want no part of that.” Despite this, when my phone chirped to remind me the annual Dowagiac Martin Luther King Jr. Day march was going to start soon, I threw on a pair of boots and a hat — forgetting gloves as I always do — and headed out the door.

What I didn’t know at the time was that the march had been postponed until 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26. So, when I showed up to city hall, camera in hand, ready to march down to Second Baptist Church, I was greeted with an empty building. All the lights were off, attempts to reach any organizers by phone were futile, and there was no one in sight — well, almost no one.

Dowagiac resident and long-time MLK Day march participant Diane Barrett-Curtis also didn’t get the memo about the date change and showed up to city hall in boots that made it clear she was serious about making the walk. After about 10 minutes of chatting and waiting for someone — anyone — else to show up, Diane said, “Well, I guess I’ll still walk and see if they are doing some sort of service at the church.”

“Then, I’m going with you,” I said. “No reason you should walk alone.”

And off we went, beginning our .8-mile trek across un-shoveled, icy sidewalks. Along the way, in between ensuring we didn’t slip, we talked.

We talked about ourselves and shared personal stories. We talked about Dowagiac and how long we have been involved in the community here. We also talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy he left behind.

Diane shared that she was in high school when King was assassinated, describing that time as “tense.” Having lived through that time, Diane said she still sees a need to support the causes King fought for, a belief I share.

In our relatively short walk together, I feel like I learned a lot from Diane, and I really enjoyed talking with her. It’s moments like these that remind me why I love what I do — I get to meet and interact with people from all walks of life to hear and share their stories. 

When we finally arrived at Second Baptist Church, we were, of course, met with an empty, locked building. While we were disappointed, we still felt like we accomplished something. I can only speak for myself, but I spent an afternoon showing support for a cause I think is important and getting to know a really interesting person. While I may not have been able to snap any photos for the newspaper, I don’t think of that as time wasted.

I’m not sure there is any sort of message to this story, but I do want to say, Diane, thank you for walking with me. Even though getting the date incorrect was a mistake, and by the end I was completely frozen, it was truly an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. (Thank you also to your husband for driving me back to city hall from the church so that I didn’t have to make that walk twice!) Now, when I am out and about covering stories downtown, I can count one more person in the crowd a friend.

Everyone else, I hope to see you see this weekend during the rescheduled march. I’m looking forward to walking with you, hearing your stories and celebrating the ongoing fight for equality in our country.