Takes place in Historic Downtown Wilmington\; Parade startin
g point at Front Street & Hanover Street.
The Martin Luther Kin
g Jr. Celebration Committee is proud to continue their work in the celebra
tion and honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. While they have
long had a wonderful parade commemorating his life\, legacy\, and birthda
y\, they are now committed to extending that celebration into a week of mo
tivational events to raise awareness and motivate the community. Please vi
sit the website for more information on all of these events at www.mlkjrcelebratio
n-senc10.com.
The actions of the Reverend Dr. Martin Lu
ther King Jr. (MLK) brought about significant changes in the lives of al
l Americans. Therefore the MLK Celebration Committee\, a subcommittee
under the African American Heritage Foundation of Wilmington\, Inc\, (
AAHFW) representing the Greater Wilmington area seek to pay homage to an
American hero through educational seminars\, religion events\, art an
d culture events\, displays and social gatherings which enhance the qual
ity of life in our communities.
The AAHFW was founded to fil
l a void in our community. So sponsoring this week of events perfectly fit
s our mission and helps to build our capacity to do even more to address a
nd improve racial relations\, community and visibility of the positive ach
ievements and contributions of African Americans throughout our history. W
e seek to incorporate health and wellness concerns in our annual celebrati
on.
Wilmington is a particularly important place to fully comme
morate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because of the continuing
impact of the 1898 coup d’etat\, overthrowing an elected African Ameri
cans government\, which radically disenfranchised African Americans here
. These actions and inactions costed many their lives and many more thei
r rightfully owned land. In addition\, the heroic efforts of the Wilming
ton Ten\, who fought tirelessly to desegregate the local schools\, must
be remembered. A little known fact is that Dr. King was due to arrive in
Wilmington\, NC but postponed his arrival to assist striking sanitation
workers with their issue in Memphis\, Tennessee where he met his untime
ly demise.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a well known and accepted
national hero\, and his birthday is an opportunity to bring people toge
ther and help everyone again understand the context and history surround
ing his life from the perspective of Southeastern North Carolina. It is
our hope to be able to build from this week of events to other events wh
ich allow us to more fully commemorate additional important figures and
events in African American