Up with People Cast B 2010 On Tour

UWP students march during MLK marade - photo by Jessica Schang(U.S.)

“Ok everybody. Monday we’re all going to be part of a Martin Luther King Marade.”

Did he say marade? After getting some more information I know that I heard him right. It’s a Marade (which is a made up word used in Denver) meaning the mix of a parade and a march. A parade because we want to celebrate Martin Luther King and what he stood for. A march because we’re demonstrating against the unjust racial issues that still unfortunately exist throughout the world.

On the 19^th of January all through the USA they celebrate MLK day and Denver has one of the largest parades in the country. This year about 45 000 people participated, marching for 3 miles from an MLK statue to the Colorado capital building in downtown Denver. 45 000 people “marading” together, sharing the same desire to spread the message of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.

So there I was. In an ocean of people as far as the eye can see. Streets had been shut off for the marade to make its way through Denver downtown. Signs where waved, drums where played, laughter was shared, conversations made. It was kids, elderly, black, white, tall, short, all kinds!

The moment that stood out to me was right at the beginning of the marade. before the actual march started. The cast was assigned to create a human chain to create an aisle for the first people to start marching.

Aafke(Netherlands) and Ida(Sweden) create a human chain. - photo by Joshua Yan Yu(China)

We did this by locking arms or holding hands forming two lines. I stood still for a moment before realizing what I saw. We may not always literally hold hands and create human tunnels, but figuratively we link arms and work together to make way for the message to be spread. We may not always be the one giving the speech or be the loudest marching band but we are there, starting the chain, making way for the message. And it wasn’t just us, the cast of Up With People. As we started to link arms other people joined. All of a sudden we had double the amount of people in our chain, surrounded by friends and strangers who all were there for different reasons but with the same goal. I felt overwhelmed and amazed. Imagine that a word that doesn’t exist, “marade”, can come to mean so much.

-by Sofie Martinsson, Admissions Coordinator

Hans Nelson, Education Coordinator for cast A09 greets students as they arrive in Denver.

January 9th marked the first day in Cast A09′s history. After weeks, months and for some- years of waiting, the students of A09 arrived safely in Denver. “It was exciting to see students literally running to each new bus, greeting their fellow cast mates as they arrived to our Montebello facility.” Matt Erley. As the day continued on into night, the cast grouped together for the first time for some encouraging words from cast manager Jen Moody right before meeting their very first host family. The theme was “Lost in Time” and as the students anxiously wandered around looking for the match to their code, host families shared the same excitement, most having hosted UWP for many semesters. “There is something very different about the makeup of this cast, it’s something very exciting to be a part of.” Jen Moody.

-by Gabe Anchondo, Assistant Cast Manger A09