No level of cold could stop the hundreds who marched Monday in Denver on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Denver’s annual MLK Day Marade is a four-decade old tradition, celebrating the civil rights movement’s pioneer and the African American pursuit of freedom. The Marade participants marched from the MLK Jr. monument in City Park, down Colfax Avenue, to Civic Center Park.

“I believe in the dream,” Damion Allen said while greeting fellow marchers along the path.

“What MLK talked about is us being one nation, all living together, peacefully, loving each other, you know, because that’s the only way we go forward,” he said. “Even on a day like today, you can still get out here. It’s important enough that you don’t worry about the weather.”

Hundreds on Monday marched in 5-degree temperatures. It is the second year in a row Marade participants marched through snow and cold weather, as 2024’s saw sub-zero temperatures and snow.

The Marade is put on each year by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission and named for a combination of parade and march.

Coincidentally, MLK Jr. Day aligned this year with President Donald Trump’s inauguration — a topic of conversation for many who spoke Monday.

In his speech, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb pointed to a need for more Black leaders “taking the charge” in leadership amid a new presidential administration.

“We need direct action so that people understand that we’re serious and do business,” Webb said, “that we can do more than just march and sing. We can do more than dribble and shoot. We can do more than throw passes and catch passes. We also have the ability to think and bring people together.”

As a Colorado state legislator in the 1970s, Webb pushed to make MLK Day a holiday. In 1991, Webb was elected to become Denver’s first Black mayor.

“We have to protect each other for people of goodwill,” Webb said. “We make no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interest. That’s not Democratic or Republican. That’s not affiliated. That’s us fighting for our interests.”

Webb’s spouse, Wilma Webb, emphasized: “We should always be there, no matter who is in charge, to make sure that our freedom continues to be free.”

“We must stand for who we know has been a righteous person,” she said.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston reminisced on over 20 years of celebrating the Marade.

“There have been days we were here celebrating the inauguration of the first Black president, we felt like there was a moment of incredible opportunity,” Johnston said about former President Barack Obama.

Johnston, without directly mentioning his name, said Monday’s inauguration of Trump would be a moment where Rev. King “worked to figure out what rights you protect.”

Namugga Nakayiza, a student at the University of Denver, held a sign quoting MLK: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

“Recognizing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., you know what he stood for, how he was against genocide, against war, against a lot of the inequalities in the world. I think I stand exactly for that,” Nakayiza said. “This is my way of showing support and also recognizing the solidarity of many issues that are happening right now in the world.”

“MLK was a pure example of that,” she said.

Jackie Esticabo said he didn’t hesitate when a friend asked him to march last-minute Monday.

“There’s a lot of passion,” he said, looking around the crowd of hundreds marching. “The passion is high and the love is really strong.”