EVERETT — Those who wish to remember America’s greatest Civil Rights leader and the ideals he stood for are invited to gather for a rally and march Wednesday morning.
Events to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Snohomish County Plaza, 3000 Wall St., in downtown Everett.
The highlight of the rally will be the dramatic delivery of King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech by 16-year-old Reginald Gillins Jr.
The junior at Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish is the son of Reginald and Winifred Gillins. Reginald Jr.’s father delivered the same speech at last year’s rally. He was unavailable this year, so junior stepped in.
His sister, Whitley, a junior at the University of Washington, also plans to deliver a speech.
“We’re excited to have them carrying on the tradition,” Everett spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.
Afterward, the gathered crowd is set to march through downtown and end at Comcast Arena on Hewitt Avenue. At noon there, a free community celebration is planned in the arena’s Edward D. Hansen Conference Center.
Local musical acts are scheduled to perform, including Adrian Xavier, Patricia Lee Music and the Mark Cardenas Band. A multi-media presentation should include song, rap, spoken-word poetry and clips.
This is Everett’s 10th Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
The event is scheduled earlier than the holiday so groups of school children can attend, Reardon said.
Various community groups are encouraging people to volunteer in their communities on the holiday, rather than take the day off.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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