HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2011-02-03 MLK March Route Markers 2
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
Dedication Ceremony for Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Scheduled for February 12, 2011
March Route in Leesburg Designated with Engraved Plaques
Leesburg, VA (February 3, 2011) – The dedication of
a permanent memorial of engraved plaques along
the route of the annual Martin Luther King Day
March will take place at 9:00 a.m. on February 12,
2011, at the Loudoun County Courthouse, where the
first stone was placed. In the event of inclement
weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors, and
will take place in the Loudoun County Government
Center Board room at 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg,
at 9:00 a.m..
In conjunction with the “I Have A Dream”
Committee, the Town of Leesburg has created a
permanent memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
by installing engraved plaques along the route of the
annual Martin Luther King Day March.
The MLK March route begins at the Loudoun County
Courthouse in Historic Downtown Leesburg and
extends along East Market Street to the Douglass
Community Center. The new route designation
includes two granite plaques engraved with a profile
of Dr. King and information about the “I Have A
Dream” Committee and the annual MLK Day March,
five granite plaques engraved with quotes from Dr.
King’s speeches and writings, and ten bricks
engraved with “MLK Dream.” The first plaque is
located in the brick sidewalk on East Market Street,
adjacent to the Loudoun County Courthouse and
across from the post office. The other plaques are
placed periodically along the march route, in the
TOL PR 2011-01-11 MLK March route markers
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sidewalk on the north side of East Market Street.
The last plaque is located in front of the Douglass
Community Center. The ten bricks are interspersed
along the route between the engraved plaques.
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 MLK March route designation project was
approved by the Leesburg Town Council on October
26, 2010. The plaques were designed by Bill
Ference, the Town’s Parks and Public Space Planner,
and installed by the Town’s Streets Division crews.
Total cost for purchasing the route designation
plaques and bricks was slightly more than $2,000.
“We are very happy that the Town of Leesburg
supported our efforts to create this lasting memorial to Dr. King and all those who have fought
for equal rights,” said Tammy Carter, chair of the “I Have A Dream” committee. “Working with
Bill was a great experience. The plaques turned out just as I had envisioned, and the whole
committee is very pleased and impressed with the end result.”
“This memorial is not just for African-Americans, but for all people, as we all have the same
rights,” she continued. “Where else but in America can you have a statue of a Co nfederate
soldier and a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King in front of the same courthouse?”
The annual march commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is part of the Loudoun
MLK Celebration and takes place on the third Monday in January each year, the observed
holiday of Dr. King’s birthday. For more information about the dedication, please call Tammy
Carter at 571-331-4721.
Contact:
Betsy Fields
Research & Communications Manager
bfields@leesburgva.gov
703-771-2734
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