Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to be celebrated in the community-wide event in Olympia, proclaimed by County

Congresswoman Strickland to be the keynote speaker

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The Thurston Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) continued its tradition of proclaiming Sunday, January 15, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Rev. David L. Reaves received the proclamation on Tuesday, Jan. 10, during the board’s first public meeting for 2023.

“A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Reeves said, quoting King. “We want to have cleaner streets, and we want to have safer streets and we want to be able to be neighborly and be people of peace who can reside who can do the work that needs to be done within our community.”

Dr. Thelma Jackson, who traditionally received the proclamations in previous years, introduced Reeves as the new lead senior pastor of the New Life Baptist Church in the county.

Jackson said they are reinstituting the holiday's community-wide celebration, which will be held at noon on Monday, Jan. 16, at the New Life Baptist Church.

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland will be the keynote speaker for the celebration, which various leaders from Thurston, Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater will attend.

In honor of the proclamation, the board encouraged citizens to follow “Dr. King’s mission of service to others by participating in projects that will benefit the community.”

CORRECTION - January 19, 2023 --  A previous version of this story misspelled the last name of Rev. David L. Reaves. We regret our error.  

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  • AugieH

    Does anyone besides me find it acutely ironic that King County to our north, named for Martin Luther King, Jr. since 1986 and the most populous in WA and the 13th most populous in the U.S., is part of a state named for a slaveowner? Where's the outrage? Where's the push to name Washington anything other than Washington?

    Have you ever noticed that if Gov. Inslee was to remove his glasses and wear a wig he'd closely resemble Washington on the state seal?

    Tuesday, January 17, 2023 Report this