Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Courtesy Photo)
The District of Columbia will hold many events celebrating the official holiday recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the coming days.
On Jan. 16, the day of the official King holiday, the annual Peace Walk and Parade will be held in Southeast Washington, Ward 8, on Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue, S.E. Stuart Anderson, one of the leaders of the march, told the AFRO that this year’s events will be different from the past.
“As we have in the past, we will hold the peace walk and it will start at the parking lot next to the headquarters of the United Black Fund,” Anderson said, referring to the 2500 Martin Luther King Jr. address of the UBF.
The peace walk is scheduled to start assembling at 7:30 a.m., with a prayer service starting at 8 a.m. and the lineup for the peace walk beginning at 9:40 a.m., according to the event’s web site. The web site said that the peace walk will take place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and go to the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center on the campus of St. Elizabeths East.
In regards to the parade, that is where the change from the past will occur. In recent years, the procession would start at the R.I. S.E. Demonstration Center and head south on Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue to the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Southwest. At the church, there was a post-parade program that consisted of speakers and music.
“This year, instead of heading south, we will be going north,” Anderson said. “We will march to downtown Anacostia where the Big Chair is and proceed to Anacostia Park, where a health fair will take place.”
The parade is scheduled to start at noon and will officially end at 2 p.m. at Anacostia Park.
The parade and peace walk are staples in the District’s events calendar and the mayor, D.C. Council members, and other elected and appointed city officials participate in the parade. Local high school bands and organizations in the city and some from Prince George’s County and northern Virginia participate in the parade while the peace walk tends to focus on east of the Anacostia River groups and individuals.
Anderson said that planning events for the peace walk and parade have been going along smoothly.
“We have had a wonderful response to this,” he said. “The planning committee has been meeting consistently since late August and we have gotten a great response from participants, bands and local schools.”
While the peace walk and parade have received the most attention, there are other events honoring the slain civil rights leader. On Jan. 12, there will be a program “An Honest Look at the D.C. Youth Act” that will take place at the Potomac Gardens Family Community & Recreation Center, located at 700 12th Street., S.E., with WJLA reporter Sam Ford moderating a panel discussion.
On Jan. 13, the Washington Hebrew Congregation will hold a “MLK Shabat Dinner” with the Rev. Dr. William Barber III, a renowned leader of the NAACP nationally and in North Carolina, as the guest speaker, with dinner starting at 5:30 p.m.
On Jan. 15, Covenant will hold a worship service celebrating King at 10 a.m. After the peace walk and parade on Jan. 20, there will be “Let’s Stop the Violence Community Forum” at the First Rock Baptist Church in Southeast.
The non-profit, “We Feed Our People” will hold its 29th Annual Holiday Celebration Through Service by providing hot meals and warm clothes for the homeless. On Jan 14-16, volunteers are set to gather at the Howard University School of Law cafeteria to prepare meals and on Jan. 16, the organization will go to the Big Chair in Anacostia to serve meals and distribute clothes.