Beaufort celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade, community sing, banquet & more…

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.s’ life, legacy and leadership in the civil rights movement. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a familiar face in the Beaufort area, particularly at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island. It was a safe haven and retreat for him until his death in 1968.

The Beaufort area and the country at large will celebrate the great civil rights leader’s life and legacy. January 20, 2020, is a federal holiday, all local, state and federal offices will be closed, along with public schools and many banks and businesses.

Downtown Beaufort Parade celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

There will be a parade on Monday, January 20, 2020, honoring Dr. King sponsored by the Beaufort County Ministerial Alliance, which has been organizing the event for more than 20 years. The parade will start at 10 a.m. at the Beaufort National Cemetery at Rogers and Boundary streets. It will wind around to Carteret and Bay streets, with many groups marching to show their love for Dr. King and their work on the struggles that are still going on today. According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the route will be closed to vehicles from 9:45 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. 

 

Community Sing at Penn School National Historic Landmark District

Other celebrations include a Community Sing Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Penn Center on Sunday, January 19, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Community Sing is a long-standing tradition of Penn School, which promotes and preserves the spirituals that were traditionally intoned in the Sea Islands of South Carolina.

The Beaufort County Ministerial Alliance Banquet salutes the legacy of MLK

At a banquet hosted by the Beaufort County Ministerial Alliance this past weekend, Reverend Dr. John C. Dortch was presented with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award by the Rev. Dr. Sam Spain, Sr., Chairman of the MLK Award’s Committee.

The plaque reads, “Humanitarian Award given to Reverend Dr. John C. Dortch in recognition of exceptional and faithful leadership provided in addressing an expansive need for service in the Beaufort County and surrounding areas, given this 20th day of January 20, 2020. 

“‘God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”‘ [Hebrews 6:10] “Beaufort County Ministerial Alliance working together to achieve success.”

We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” —Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.  would have turned 91 years old on Jan. 15, 2020