Man Makes ‘March Against Poverty’ from Atlanta to Memphis to Honor MLK

Atlanta resident Terrence Lester is literally taking his nonprofit organization on the road

Mar 6, 2018

Terrence Lester, an Atlanta native, is taking a month-long journey for a cause. The executive director of the nonprofit Love Beyond Walls, told 11 Alive News that he has two missions: to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to take a stand against poverty.

“This march is a testament to the legacy of Dr. King and to shed light on the millions of people across the nation from all walks of life and nationalities who experience the harsh realities of homelessness and poverty,” Lester said.

Moving forward

“It is time for the next generation to pick up the baton and we are on the front-lines to leading the charge,” he continued.

The journey will take Lester 386 miles and he’s documenting the track on his social media feeds including Twitter and Facebook.

In one of the videos, Lester promotes his walk with a glimpse into his ideology, which is demonstrated in a clip of a speech he posted.

Everyone is worthy

“If we’re really honest, if we’re really able to see worth… we’ll start with intrinsic work,” says Lester in the video. “And we’ll say, ‘Yeah, they don’t have a nice job but they’re still worthy. Yeah, they may be sleeping under a bridge but they’re still worthy. Yeah, they may have to beg for money just to live in a shelter at night, but they’re still worthy.’ “

“Because we’re not measuring their worth based upon what they have,” Lester continues. “We’re measuring their worth based upon what’s on the inside of them.”

Lester is walking to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where King was assassinated in 1968, and plans to meet his arrival date by April 4. According to 11 Alive, the March Against Poverty includes a partnership with the Center for Civil and Human Rights. He previously walked from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about systemic poverty in 2016.