AKRON — This Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend marks about six months since Jayland Walker was killed by Akron police, and many in the community are thinking about the injustices Black Americans face and all that still needs to be done to heal.
For Robert DeJournett, a relative of the Walker family, Monday is a day on, not a day off.
“This is a day where we want to not only commemorate what he has done and how he has opened up doors and led the way, but also, let’s talk about keeping true to that dream,” DeJournett said.
Since Walker was killed in June of 2022, DeJournett has worked tirelessly for justice and healing for the Akron community.
“How do we deal with the current state of things and not just allow things to go being swept under the rug? Let’s deal with it and have the heart to heart conversations, uncomfortable conversations,” he said. “If we’re going to move forward, we have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
DeJournett and other organizers are using MLK weekend to host a number of events to bring light and community healing for Walker’s case, like they said Martin Luther King Jr. would be doing if he were alive today.
“Martin Luther King Jr., he stood for justice,” DeJournett said. “And, I believe if what happened in our community last year with Jayland Walker, Martin Luther King Junior would be here as well.”
Judi Hill, president of the Akron Branch of the NAACP, was a panelist at a symposium on Saturday and said she was eager to help organize the weekend of power, justice and love.
“People are waiting on what the Department of Justice is going to say,” she said. “We are waiting on some recommendations. We are waiting on change in Akron, and we want to be a part of that change. We think by having this kind of conversation, we can do just that.”
DeJournett said he’s happy with how the community came together for the weekend and hopes they’ll continue fighting for justice well beyond Monday.
“Not just one day a year, doing MLK day,” he said. “His dream was for 365 days. So we want to be a community that’s doing that, living it, not just talking it, not just waiting till this time, but also being proactive.”
Monday will be a “Youth Day of Doing,” where Akron youth are invited to work on community service projects and engage in discussion about the future of the city.
