By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
The annual Martin Luther King (MLK) March will take place on Monday, Jan. 20, beginning at 9 a.m. in the city’s Greenwood Park downtown.
The MLK March honors the memory of the civil rights leader and the legacy of his fight for racial justice in America. The event is being organized by the city of Del Rio, with help from Val Verde County and the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District (SFDRCISD).
The march will begin at Greenwood Park, located at 501 Garner St., and it will end at the school district’s Student Performance Center (SPC), 315 Griner St.
Esme Meza, the city’s community services director, said the “main change” for this year’s MLK March is changing the starting location for the march. In previous years, the march began at Star Park, and participants walked south on South Main Street.
“The weather has been cold, and we wanted to still include a march, so we thought if the weather is not good, then we could have more people participating in the march if it is a shorter distance,” Meza said.
The event will carry on inside the Student Performance Center (SPC), and a list of guest speakers will be in attendance, including Mayor Al Arreola and members from the city council, the school board and Val Verde County.
The program will also show a video of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and music performances will be provided by Amy Haynes, elected school board trustee, and her mother Lonia Haynes, who will both sing for the event.
A reception will be held after the program in the SPC’s Training Room.
