Wednesday, January 15, 2025–9:15 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Rome and Floyd County’s four-day celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. begins Friday.
The four-day observance has become a familiar tradition locally, but according to Alvin Jackson with the local King Commission, the annual celebration almost didn’t happen.
“I was here around 38 or 39 years ago when we came before this commission,” he said. “We sat here for three or four hours, going back and forth about whether or not Dr. King’s birthday should be a holiday in here in Rome. Four said no and four said yes. We stayed here until about 11 or 12 o’clock that night. Lo and behold, the chairman at that time, Buddy Mitchell, slammed his hand and said ‘I’ve had enough of this; we are going to do it.’ So I think that commission should be proud of that because I feel like if he hadn’t put his foot down at night, we may not have a celebration.”
Jackson went on to talk about some of the events this weekend.
“We will start on Friday night off with a talent show at the city auditorium,” he said. It begins at 6 o’clock. That’s where we bring our youth in. We have different talents here in Rome and Floyd County and we like to showcase those to our kids.”
The annual Family Prayer Breakfast is on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Life Center at Lovejoy Baptist Church.
“Tickets are $15, and it’s the only thing we charge for because there is the cost of a caterer and several other things,” Jackson said. “This is the only thing in at four-day celebration that we charge for. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Valerie Loner, senior pastor at Rome First United Methodist Church.”
The Ecumenical Service is Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Christ Temple Rapture Preparation Cathedral on MLK Boulevard neat the fairgrounds. The keynote speaker is Pastor Anthony Corbett, Senior Pastor at Lundy Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Macon.
Then that Monday, the Freedom March will make it way up Broad Street at 11:30 a.m.
The march will be followed by the Noon Program at the Rome City Auditorium. The Keynote Speaker will be Michael Thurmon, past DeKalb County CEO and former Georgia Labor Commissioner.
Lunch will be provided immediately following the program at the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill.
