Alexandria to celebrate 53rd anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday program
Event at George Washington Masonic Memorial continues tradition that predates federal holiday by a decade
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Planning Committee will host “Dawn of Justice & Hope,” the 53rd anniversary community celebration of King’s birthday, on Thursday, Jan. 15, at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
The free event begins with a welcome reception at 5:30 p.m. featuring food and birthday cake, followed by the main program from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The evening will include music and speakers honoring King’s legacy.
The celebration traces its roots to 1973, when Alexandria civic leader and activist Alice P. Morgan initiated the city’s first memorial program honoring King’s birthday. Then-Mayor Charles Beatley endorsed the effort, which launched a decade before President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday bill into law in 1983 and nearly three decades before every state recognized King’s birthday as a national holiday in 2000.
The event is free and open to all ages. Donations of any amount are encouraged to offset the cost of the program.
Sponsors include Burke & Herbert Bank, St. Elmo’s and the Ponzi Family, Jen Walker Team, Affordable Signs & Banners, Cobra Sewer & Drain, Del Ray Hardware, Nautilus Coaching & Consulting and Tara Casagrande Yoga & Mindfulness.
Advance registration is requested at drkingmemorialprogram.org. Those interested in volunteer or sponsorship opportunities can email tara@easeyogacafe.com.
The memorial is located at 101 Callahan Drive.
Really appreciate the detail about Alice P. Morgan launching this in 1973. The fact that Alexandria was honoring King's birthday a full decade before Reagan signed the federal bill kinda shows how grassroots movements can lead institutional change rather than just follow it. I remeber learning about local MLK celebrations in my community history class, and it always stuck with me how these events kept his message alive before it became "official." Beatley's endorsement mattering that early is pretty telling too. The timeline from 1973 to 1983 to 2000 (when all states finally recognized it) is a good remidner that progress often happens in these uneven waves across different levels of society.