Takes place in Historic Downtown Wilmington; Parade starting point at Front Street & Hanover Street.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee is proud to continue their work in the celebration and honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. While they have long had a wonderful parade commemorating his life, legacy, and birthday, they are now committed to extending that celebration into a week of motivational events to raise awareness and motivate the community. Please visit the website for more information on all of these events at www.mlkjrcelebration-senc10.com. 

The actions of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)  brought about significant changes in the lives of all  Americans. Therefore the MLK Celebration  Committee, a subcommittee under the African  American Heritage Foundation of Wilmington,  Inc, (AAHFW) representing the Greater  Wilmington area seek to pay homage to an  American hero through educational seminars,  religion events, art and culture events, displays  and social gatherings which enhance the quality  of life in our communities.

The AAHFW was founded to fill a void in our community. So sponsoring this week of events perfectly fits our mission and helps to build our capacity to do even more to address and improve racial relations, community and visibility of the positive achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout our history. We seek to incorporate health and wellness concerns in our annual celebration.

Wilmington is a particularly important place to fully commemorate the  work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because of the continuing impact of the  1898 coup d’etat, overthrowing an elected African Americans government,  which radically disenfranchised African Americans here. These actions and  inactions costed many their lives and many more their rightfully owned  land. In addition, the heroic efforts of the Wilmington Ten, who fought  tirelessly to desegregate the local schools, must be remembered. A little  known fact is that Dr. King was due to arrive in Wilmington, NC but  postponed his arrival to assist striking sanitation workers with their issue in  Memphis, Tennessee where he met his untimely demise.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a well known and accepted national hero, and  his birthday is an opportunity to bring people together and help everyone  again understand the context and history surrounding his life from the  perspective of Southeastern North Carolina. It is our hope to be able to build  from this week of events to other events which allow us to more fully  commemorate additional important figures and events in African American