Falls Church Honors MLK Day With Unity March, Service Projects

From The City of Falls Church: The City of Falls Church government will honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16 in new and special ways this year. The community is invited to join City Council, the Tinner Hill Foundation, civic organizations and neighbors in a unity march and a day of service.

Unity March

The Tinner Hill Foundation is organizing a March for Unity, Racial Healing and Justice followed by a celebration program. Marchers representing diverse races, religions, ethnicities and more, will walk to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and gather for a program of unity, racial healing, and justice. The half mile march will begin at the Tinner Hill Historic Monument, where 100 years ago the first rural NAACP began in once-segregated Falls Church, VA, and end at City Hall. Participants will join together to march, sing, and stand in unity. The event will focus attention on the need for communities to come together peacefully and demand justice for those whose rights are in danger of being violated. It will encourage a dialogue on solutions to heal our nation’s divisiveness. The Fairfax County NAACP and the Northern Virginia Urban League are expected to join the event.

The march line-up begins at 12:30 p.m. on the sidewalks of the intersection of South Washington St. (Rt. 29) and Tinner Hill Rd. The march will start at 1 p.m. and will end at City Hall (300 Park Ave.).At City Hall, a two-hour program will feature a video honoring Dr. King and an open panel discussion. Confirmed panel speakers include:

• White House Deputy Counsel Atty. Raheemah Karim
• U.S. Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA)
• Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church
• Kofi Annan, President, Fairfax County NAACP
• Michael Davis, Acting Chair, Northern Virginia Urban League
• Garland Nixon, WPFW-FM radio host
• Students For Change from J.E.B. Stuart High School, Falls Church, which is spearheading the effort to change its name from a Confederate soldier

There is free parking at the Lincoln at Tinner Hill complex (455 S. Maple Ave.), and City Hall (300 Park Ave.). A shuttle bus for the elderly and disabled will return marchers to Tinner Hill Rd. after the program. Please visit http://tinnerhill.org for the most up-to-date event information.

Day of Service

The City Council declared January 16 to be an official Day of Service. "Service to others is a hallmark of the American character, and central to how Falls Church meets challenges," the proclamation reads. "Ordinary citizens, armed with compassion and the willingness to serve, can come together to change the world and pursue the Nation’s highest ideals." The City will join thousands of communities around the country in a national day of service projects. City Council, board and commission members, and staff will prepare lunches for a homeless shelter. A number of volunteer opportunities are available for community members:

• Search a database managed by the Corporation for National and Community Service
• Search a database managed by All for Good
• Families of students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Mount Daniel Elementary School, or Jessie Thackrey Preschool are invited to a PTA-sponsored event to create food packs for disadvantaged families. Anyone is welcome to donate food or funds to the effort. Visit www.fcepta.org for details.

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