Rockville To Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Rockville’s 42nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration will be held at 10 a.m. at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive. The ceremony celebrates ‘Courage Through the Years’ and will feature performers, speaker Dr. Michael W. Nettles and awards recognizing Rockville residents who are carrying on King’s legacy.

The celebration will include diverse, interactive and multicultural performances by The Finest IMPACT Troupe, singer Adele-Clarice, hip hop artist Christylez Bacon, jazz combo The Kawa Project, Soul in Motion and Vision Contemporary Dance Ensemble, and more.

The featured speaker, Dr. Michael W. Nettles, is an ordained minister, author, addiction and mental health counselor, and the founder of Community Outreach Services, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit serving adults and juveniles re-entering life after time in the criminal justice system. He will deliver a speech incorporating this year’s theme of “courage through the years.”

“It takes courage to pursue individual goals and freedoms and inclusion for all people,” said celebration organizer Janet Kelly, City staff liaison to Rockville’s Human Rights Commission. “The program will encourage people to reflect upon their own acts of courage.”

The celebration also features the presentation of two awards. The Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Award will be presented to a Rockville high school student who has worked to fulfill King’s dream. The F. Michael Taff Award will be presented to an individual, organization or business that has helped improve the quality of the lives of people with disabilities.

The celebration is free and open to all ages. A reception will follow. Attendees are encouraged to bring a can of food to donate to a local food bank.

For information about access, call the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator at 240.314.8108.

Visit Rockville’s MLK Day webpage to learn more and see video from the 2013 celebration.