CANCELED: Martin Luther King Rally & March

Forty-eight years in the making, the historic official dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will have to wait till early Fall. From Dr. King's own prophetic words, "we must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

I suppose Hurricane Irene is historic in her own way, too. Anticipation of the storm resulted in postponement of Saturday's march and rally, and the official dedication ceremony planned for Sunday. Some activities today and Saturday are still on, listed below.

The Alexandria Chapter of the NAACP was hard at work inviting local residents to gather Saturday morning at the Braddock Road Metro station and head to the rally/march. Watch for updates on this site as well as at NAACPAlexandriaVA.org and also on their Facebook page. The Chapter will be holding its 78th Annual Life Membership & Awards Banquet on Sunday, October 16th at the Hilton at Mark Center.

"It is with a heavy heart and enormous disappointment that we announce that, in the interest of public safety, we are forced to change our plans," said Harry E. Johnson, Sr. president and CEO of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. He released his statement last night after consulting with the National Park Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

UPDATED SCHEDULE – Weather permitting

Friday, August 26, 2025

• 9:00am – 4:00pm Partners In the Dream (Exhibit Hall D) MLK Store @ Washington Convention Center
• 12:00pm – 2:00pm Women Who Dare To Dream Luncheon @ Washington Convention Center

Saturday, August 27, 2025

• 10:00am – 11:30am National Prayer Service @ Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 

Schedule permitting, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will be open to the public today until 10pm and Saturday from 8:00am – 12:00pm.

Learn more about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at DedicateTheDream.org

Photo courtesy of Katie Halper