Regina Pixley grew up in Ward 8 observing and participating in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk and Parade that takes place on the avenue that bears the name of the slain civil rights leader.
This year’s Jan. 15 parade, however, will be important for Pixley, a well-known community activist and former advisory neighborhood commissioner. The parade committee has selected her to be one of the grand marshals for the event.
“January 15 is a special day for me,” Pixley, 53, said fighting back tears at a Jan. 6 meeting for the parade committee that took place at the Busboys & Poets Restaurant and Bar located on Martin Luther King Avenue SE in Anacostia. “Twenty years ago, on January 15, I lost my hero, Mable Pixley Atkinson. Now I am being honored on that day as a grand marshal.”
Pixley will be joined as a grand marshal by retired Channel 7 journalist Sam Ford, executive director of the Alliance of Concerned Men Tyrone Parker, D.C. Deputy Youth Mayor Lourdes Robinson and Ambassador Baptist Church pastor the Rev. Wanda Thompson.
The parade is a highlight of a full week of activities honoring King, hosted by the 19th Annual MLK Observance Week. This year’s theme is “Bending Toward Peace, Truth and Justice.”
The 19th Annual MLK Observance Week 2024 committee is led by Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes and community activist Stuart Anderson.
Pre-Parade Activities
Activities leading up to the parade included an “Evening of Prayer, Song and Reflection that occurred on Jan. 8 at Living Word Church in Southeast.
“This is a night of prayer, song and dance,” said the Rev. Anthony Motley, who helped coordinate the event. “During the civil rights movement, a prayer service was held before we did what we had to do.”
Motley, 74, noted the service encompassed the theme of the parade and said the program will note the 2000 truce in the community “to stop the violence.”
On Jan. 9, the film “Children of the Movement,” will be screened at the Anacostia Busboys & Poets. The 40-minute documentary talks about the impact that children had on the civil rights movement during King’s activism.
“Children were the ones who ended segregation,” said anti-violence activist and entrepreneur Ron Moten. “About 6,300 children went to prison to end segregation. It is not by accident that our children are fed garbage today. They don’t want them [children] to understand the power they have.”
On Jan. 11, Pixley will sponsor a “Families Dinner,” honoring the kin of people who have been the victims of homicide or suicide.
“This is not going to be a sad celebration but a happy one,” she said. “We are going to have line dancing and karaoke.”
Pixley said residents and leaders of various organizations will be at the Martha Table’s-based event but said “this year we really want to focus on the youth.”
On Jan. 12, a play, “Where Do We Go from Here” will be presented at THEARC in Southeast.
The play was facilitated by the Rev. George Gilbert of Holy Trinity United Baptist Church in Northeast.
On Jan. 13, The MLK Prayer Breakfast, facilitated by Thompson, will take place at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church in Southeast from 9 a.m.-noon.
“The prayer breakfast is sold out,” Thompson said. “It will be an intergenerational, multicultural affair. Twenty-five percent of the audience will consist of young people. The guest sermon will be delivered by a student at the Thurgood Marshall Academy.”
Later that day, the winners of the MLK Essay Contest will be announced at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest.
Norm Nixon, a member of the Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute’s alumni association, who works actively with the group, serves as the facilitator for the event.
“We had 117 essays submitted for the contest,” Nixon, 61, said. “We had 42 judges from all the Black Greek letter organizations and community groups judge the essays. What struck me was that many of the essays talked about violence, such as not feeling safe going outside to go somewhere.”
Nixon said the first, second and third place winners will be recognized and rewarded. The Washington Informer will print the winning essays in a special edition.
On Jan. 14, a special service will occur at the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ starting at 10 a.m.
Details on the Annual Peace Walk & Parade
Anderson said participants at the Peace Walk will gather around 8:45 a.m. at Shepherd Park in Southeast for a rally. He said after the rally, people will congregate at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X Avenues SE to march a few blocks to the R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center where the parade will start at 11 a.m.
Anderson said there will be warming stations throughout the route on King Avenue northward at Matthews Memorial Baptist Church and Campbell AME Church, among other places.
He said 2500 King Avenue will serve as the command center for the parade.
“If you have lost your child, or have some emergency, the command center is where those matters will be taken care of,” Anderson, 63, said.
Anderson said the viewing stage will be located on King Avenue between W and V Streets and the Health Fair — this year geared toward Black male mental and physical ailments — will occur at the nearby PNC parking lot. He advised all groups interested in participating in the parade to enter through 12th Street and Alabama Avenue SE. Anderson said shuttles will be available at certain points to assist marchers.