MLK Walk and Celebration Monday

Sandra Avery said she hopes to see a big turnout at this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day walk and celebration. On Monday, the walk will not only celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts for equality but also the efforts of the late Victoria resident Dr. Charles A. Dudley. Dudley was one of Victoria's first black physicians. One of Victoria's elementary schools is named in his honor. "This has been long overdue," she told the Victoria Advocate of Dudley's honoring. "We should have done this a long time ago."

Avery, the founder and president of the Old Landmark Committee, said the walk has always had a nice turnout, but she would like to see more of the community get involved. For the most part, Avery said, the walk has stayed the same, starting at 10 a.m. in the 1600 block of East Crestwood Drive and ending at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, 4102 N. Ben Jordan St. The true celebration will begin at the church, where Avery said there will be a variety of guests from the community speaking about the prominence of the civil rights movement. Attorney G.P. Hardy of the Hardy McKenzie Law Firm will speak about Nelson Mandela, and several other speakers, including pastors from area churches, will speak about Dudley and King. Also performing skits in the celebration will be several students from Dudley, Shields and F.W. Gross elementary schools, Avery said.

To learn more, call Sandra Avery at 361-573-4187 or Gary Moses at 361-573-2853.