Martin Luther King Coalition (MLK Coalition) holds an annual civil rights march in Cincinnati honoring the slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. and campaigning for left-of-center racial and economic policies. The group was behind the state of Ohio declaring the third Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and has held an annual march celebrating the holiday. ¹

MLK Coalition members and representatives have posted articles claiming that continuing  Dr. King’s advocacy includes advocating for wealth redistribution and resisting the purported persistence of white supremacy. ^{2 3 4}

History

Martin Luther King Coalition traces back to the mid-1970s when local activists in Cincinnati, Ohio demanded a state holiday honoring slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. In May 1975, Ohio Senate Bill 18 was passed, in part due to the advocacy of the MLK Coalition, and a holiday honoring King was declared. ⁵

MLK Coalition was formed in 1976 and was officially incorporated in 1979. Founding member organizations included the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, City of Cincinnati, NAACP, University of Cincinnati, and YWCA of Greater Cincinnati. Since its inception, it holds an annual Commemorative Civil Rights March on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. ⁶

Activities

In January 2017, Martin Luther King Coalition president Jay Payne and treasurer Louise Lawarre published an op-ed claiming that prior to Dr. King’s assassination, he was attempting to transition his advocacy for civil rights to focus on advocating for far-left economic policy. The article claims that Black Americans have continued to experience “systemic” barriers to “full economic participation” and that it intends to campaign against such barriers in commemoration of Dr. King’s legacy. ⁷

In January 2019, MLK Coalition members and secretary Martha Viehmann published an op-ed relating the organization’s work to commemorate the 400th anniversary of slavery in America. The article claims the white supremacist ideology used to justify slavery persists and continues to oppress Black Americans. It argues that Black Americans are “patrolled” in as oppressive a manner as they were during slavery. ⁸

Leadership

Raffel Prophett is the president of the Martin Luther King Coalition. He co-founded Public Medical, a nonprofit that advocates for health policy, and retired from the Cincinnati Fire Department as District Fire Chief. ⁹

Eric Watford is the vice president of the MLK Coalition. He also serves as program coordinator for the African American Cultural and Resource Center at University of Cincinnati and is a choir director at the University of Cincinnati. ¹⁰

1. “History.” MLK Coalition. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.mlkcoalition.org/history.
2. King-Betts, Ericka, Desire Bennett, and Christina Brown. “The Struggle to End Racism Still Continues.” The Enquirer. Cincinnati Enquirer, January 14, 2018. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2018/01/14/struggle-end-racism-still-continues/1022622001/.
3. Viehmann, Martha, and Desire Bennett. “Opinion: 400 Years of Enslavement Stops with US.” The Enquirer. Cincinnati Enquirer, January 21, 2019. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2019/01/21/opinion-400-years-enslavement-stops-us/2570159002/.
4. Lawarre, Louise, and Jay Payne. “This MLK Day We Cannot Be Silent.” The Enquirer. Cincinnati, January 14, 2017. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/01/14/mlk-day-we-cannot-silent/96260786/.
5. “History.” MLK Coalition. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.mlkcoalition.org/history.
6. “History.” MLK Coalition. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.mlkcoalition.org/history.
7. Lawarre, Louise, and Jay Payne. “This MLK Day We Cannot Be Silent.” The Enquirer. Cincinnati, January 14, 2017. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/01/14/mlk-day-we-cannot-silent/96260786/.
8. Viehmann, Martha, and Desire Bennett. “Opinion: 400 Years of Enslavement Stops with US.” The Enquirer. Cincinnati Enquirer, January 21, 2019. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2019/01/21/opinion-400-years-enslavement-stops-us/2570159002/.
9. “MLK Coalition Members.” MLK Coalition. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.mlkcoalition.org/coalition-members.
10. “MLK Coalition Members.” MLK Coalition. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.mlkcoalition.org/coalition-members.