LEXINGTON, Va. – As Martin Luther King Jr. Day draws closer, communities across Southwest Virginia are preparing to honor the late civil rights leader.
People in Lexington are getting ready for their 10th annual MLK community parade.
The parade is hosted by CARE Rockbridge, which stands for Community Anti-Racism Effort. Since its inception, the event has grown in size every year.
Organizers say the effort is especially important in Lexington, a city with deep-rooted ties to the Confederacy.
“We are excited about the 10th one because when we had the first one, there was a lot of apprehension about how things were going to turn out with the Sons of Confederate Veterans alongside CARE Rockbridge having its parade,” said Reginald Early, co-founder and president of CARE Rockbridge. “But we are fortunate and blessed to have had a very peaceful and joyful commemoration of Dr. King’s life and legacy.”
The parade will be held Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at 10:30 a.m. It will begin in front of Randolph Street United Methodist Church and weave its way through downtown.