“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” These words were spoken by perhaps the most influential civil rights leader in history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Saturday, January 19, six Blue Ridge Job Corps students and two staff members, celebrated Dr. King’s legacy by participating in the 32nd Annual MLK March and Celebration in downtown Abingdon, VA. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law that the 3rd Monday of January would be become a national holiday in honor of Dr. King’s tremendous impact on our nation as he strived to bring about racial equality. In Abingdon, the MLK March occurs each year on the Saturday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Blue Ridge Job Corps has participated for the past several years.
Dozens of participants from across Southwest Virginia gathered at the Charles Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Abingdon to prepare for the trek down Main Street to the Abingdon United Methodist Church, where a special service would be held. As marchers made their way down the street, you could hear them joining their voices as they sang hymns in celebration of the day. Once inside, hymns continued, as poetry readings, and guest speakers who discussed the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wendy Chicas, a 16-year-old Clinical Medical Assistant student, spoke very highly of the experience. “Although it was a very cold and rainy day, I was still happy to participate in the march, and to share the experience with so many others as we honored Martin Luther King, Jr.,” she said. Recreation Supervisor Colleen Nihan, who accompanied the students, said, “They were all troopers, and didn’t let the wind and rain dampen their spirits at all.” Everyone at Blue Ridge is proud that these young ladies represented our center so well at such an important event.