Ron Chase, director of Gum Springs
The program, themed “Can Martin Luther King’s strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience still achieve his vision of equality and justice?” featured South County speakers, choirs, and poetry readers. Speakers include Alfonso G. Smith, Principal of John R. Lewis High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School and recently re-named after the late Congressman and King disciple); Shirley Ginwright, recently appointed commissioner on the Commonwealth Commission for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and former Fairfax County NAACP president; Rev. Nick Hull, minister of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church; and Ron Chase, Director of the Gum Springs Historical Museum.
Michele Togbe, student representative on the Fairfax County
School Board and a student at South County High School
They discussed the importance of passing Dr. King’s goals and methods through his disciples and now to county students; the importance of voting; the value of exploring the history of racial injustice; and the struggles of our local African American community, Gum Springs, the oldest in the county dating from 1833.
Choirs include Woodlawn Faith UMC Choir, Mount Vernon Unitarian Church Choir, Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church Choir and Harvest Assembly Baptist Church Choir. Poetry by Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou were dramatically read by former Fairfax County teacher Betty Graves. Assistant pastor of Harvest Assembly Baptist recites an original poem.
The event was narrated by Michele Togbe, student representative on the Fairfax County
School Board and a student at South County High School.
VIC has been producing MLK Day events since the early 1990s when they were initiated by Rev. Bob Criswell of Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, who recently passed away.