Student speaks at Martin Luther King Jr. march in Belfast, Repubican Journal reports

Republican Journal reported Desiree Vargas, a University of Maine anthropology student, spoke at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. march in Belfast. Vargas, a self-describe indigenous person of color, spoke about social activism, violent racism she and her family experienced when she was a child in northern Maine, and what peace looks like — to her, and to others. People of color are criticized no matter how they protest inequality, she said, and she encouraged individuals who face adversity to push back against criticism, according to the report. “Be confident in your way of resistance, as it is all valid and rooted in love,” Vargas said. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who spoke his truth in response to the environment he was in at his time.”