Leesburg Marches to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Local residents, community organizations walk together Monday along historic route.
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Every year since 1992, residents and community organizations have joined together to march from the Loudoun County Courthouse to the Douglass Community Center.
And Monday was no different, as elected officials, community leaders and citizens came together for the 21st Annual March to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Leesburg's Mayor Kristen Umstattd, who walks in the parade each year, pointed out the engraved plaques along the parade route, with background about King and the "I Have a Dream" committee. Along the way, there are five granite plaques with quotes from King's speeches and 10 bricks engraved with "MLK dream."
The "I Have A Dream" Committee was established in 1992 by the Loudoun Douglass Alumni Association, the Baha'I Community of Loudoun, the Loudoun County branch of the NAACP and Bluemont Concert Series.
The parade, which included the Heritage High School Marching Band, ended at the Douglass Community Center, which was formerly a segregated high school from 1955-1968.
The theme this year was “Moving forward with the Dream for All."
After the parade, there was a program and celebration at the Douglass Community Center. The keynote speaker for the celebration was Deborah L. Parker of Leesburg, an inspirational speaker and author.
To see a video and pictures from the parade, click through the media player above.
How did you honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
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Heritage High School
520 Evergreen Mill Rd SE, Leesburg, VA -
Douglass School and Community Center
407 E Market St, Leesburg, VA
Anthony Fasolo
9:43 am on Tuesday, January 22, 2013
A very special day as many marched(including our mayor Kirsten Umstaddt and council members Kelly Burk, Dave Butler and Marty Martinez) in honor of MLK day while 40 miles away our first black president, Barack Obama was getting ready to be be inaugurated for his second term. Only in America!!
Marcus Aurelius
8:17 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
For the 21st consecutive year, Loudoun residents marched in celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King is one of America's great patriots, and he gave his life in furtherance of American ideals. This is an occasion when the diverse population of Loudoun gathers together in common cause and beliefs. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to remember and to reaffirm our commitment to diversity, freedom, and peace.