Utah advocates celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with rally [Video]

OGDEN — The rollback of diversity initiatives in Utah and around the county doesn’t mean Black people have suddenly achieved parity in how they’re treated, says Betty Sawyer, head of the Ogden Chapter of the NAACP.

“If you look at home ownership, if you look at the wealth gap and all of those things, if you look at housing, if you look at education, those gaps are still there,” she said at a Monday event in Ogden to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “We’ve had over 150 years of structural racism, institutional racism, and that stuff just doesn’t whittle away on its own. We’ve had about 50 years of half-hearted efforts to address affirmative action and equity and inclusion, and at every turn, there’s been kickback, pushback to say, ‘No, it’s not needed.’”

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