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Loudouners of all ages, faiths and nationalities spent their Monday morning off school and work by participating in the county's 28th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration.

Hundreds of participants gathered around 10 a.m. at the Loudoun County Courthouse in downtown Leesburg, which served as the starting point for a commemorative march destined for the Douglass School and Community Center. Noteworthy figures who took part in the march include Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.-10th), Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman (R) and Loudoun NAACP President Pastor Michelle Thomas.

After an invocation from local Sikh leader Gurvinder Singh, Chief Judge of the Loudoun County Circuit Court Douglas Fleming welcomed participants to the courthouse grounds by encouraging listeners to study the impact Loudoun's judicial system has had on local progress toward equality over the centuries.

"Our courts have played at times a positive role, and at times a very negative role in the search for social and racial justice in this county," Fleming said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I think there's no better place to begin a celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., perhaps the greatest American pioneer of social and racial justice, than on the grounds of a courthouse."

The march commenced around 10:30 a.m. and was led by the Tuscarora High School boys' basketball team and scouts with the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, all of whom carried flags representing dozens of nations and cultures. Wexton and Thomas followed close behind, helping carry the Loudoun NAACP banner down Market Street while leading inspirational chants and gospel songs such as "This Little Light of Mine."

Event volunteers met marchers at the Douglass School with light refreshments, including hot coffee and tea to help curb the below-freezing temperatures. Attendees then gathered in the school's gymnasium for the main event assembly, beginning with a prayer by Pastor Daryl S. Taylor of Chantilly's Grace Covenant Church. Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk delivered opening remarks, reading a quote from King, which she said she reads before Leesburg Town Council meetings.

"Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expedience asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'" Burk recited.

Jason Nichols, a full-time lecturer in the University of Maryland's African American Studies Department and talk show host for WPFW 89.3, was the afternoon's guest speaker. He began by referring to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as the "most important and uniquely American holiday."

"Today is a holiday unlike any other, where we honor those who were willing to die for domestic and international peace. It is a day when we celebrate the pursuit of justice. It is the celebration of the moments in history where we had to look inward at the content of our character as an issue," Nichols said.

He proceeded to share several anecdotes about civil rights advocates in the region's history, reminding listeners to "remember that we will one day be someone's ancestors."

"Our fight today is going to require two characteristics our ancestors had, and they may seem contradictory, but they're not: urgency and patience," he said. "I want you to realize that you have the opportunity, from this day going forward, to be somebody's hero."

Other speakers featured during the celebration included the ADAMS scouts, who recited King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The program was also punctuated by several performing arts presentations: Vocalist Darren Price performed a solo blending melody and rap; dancers Dillan Vanzego and Katelyn Mattson performed solo dance routines; violinist Jennifer Jenkins played a rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World;" and Divine Favor, a band representing Ebenezer A.M.E. Church of Brunswick, Maryland, played a handful of selections.

Tammy Carter, who chairs the event's committee, delivered closing remarks before a prayer from Bahá'í Faith representative Arman Akhavan and a crowd-wide recitation of "We Shall Overcome," a traditional gospel song and civil rights anthem.

"[King] had a dream, and that dream was for all to be together: blacks, whites, Hispanics, different faiths, different religions," Carter said. "I thank you for coming together as one, because that's what we should do as a county."