Local 'Foot Soldiers' of 1963 March on Washington to be Memorialized

On August 28, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, surviving local residents who marched to hear Martin Luther King, Jr. speak will be honored with a memorial plaque at Whitmore Park in Annapolis.

Members of the local Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee have organized the event, which they said honors those foot soldiers who "risked the threat of personal harm to magnify the impact of the words of the civil rights leaders who spoke that day."

August 28, 1963 was the day King delivered his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech that punctuated the Civil Rights movement in America.

The committee is attempting to raise $20,000 in donations to support purchasing the plaque online at www.indiegogo.com.

Immediately following the commemoration event, the Anne Arundel County Council will host a reception at the Arundel Center, located at 44 Calvert Street, for all Anne Arundel County Residents that participated in the 1963 March On Washington. 

Refreshments will be available in the lobby and a brief program will be held in the County Council Chambers where County Council Members will present citations to participants of the March.

Residents of Anne Arundel County that have not been contacted by the City of Annapolis about their participation in the 1963 March on Washington are asked to contact Anne Arundel County Council Chairman Jerry Walker at 410-222-1401 or write to jerry.walker@aacounty.org to be sure a citation ready on August 28.