Alexandria's Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Goes Virtual

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. will be held virtually in Alexandria this year on Friday, Jan. 15.

The 48th annual program, titled "The Fierce Urgency of Building the Beloved Community," is presented by the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Planning Committee. It will premiere at 7 p.m. on Jan. 15.

The celebration will feature opening remarks by Mayor Justin Wilson, a keynote address by former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, entertainment by two-time Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Eric Roberson, music from the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church choir, a poem by Alexandria Poet Laureate KaNikki Jakarta, and remarks by community activists and leaders.

The Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage and the Alexandria Black History Museum are also sponsoring a student poster exhibition for students in second through fifth grades. The virtual exhibition will be available online on Jan. 18, which is this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day.