Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration returns to Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Charlottesville’s annual Martin Luther King Junior Community Celebration made its mark on Ting Pavilion Sunday afternoon.

After being held virtually last year and in January, organizers finally felt safe enough to hold the event in person. Reverend Alvin Edwards says this event was a continuation of an abbreviated version earlier in the year. He says a ceremony like this, is essential to the community.

“You can feel in a community event like this, the love and the care, the concern and people’s interest in justice, Reverend Alvin Edwards with Mount Zion First African Baptist Church said.

This yearly event is about showcasing the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and making sure they live on in Charlottesville.

“We do it to bring community together because if you don’t bring people together, they’ll never get to know each other,” Edwards said.

The MLK Community award is presented to someone at the event each year. It goes to someone who demonstrates the ideals of MLK Jr. This year two people were recognized-- Alex Zan, and his mother.

“He’s been kind of a one man person who goes around challenging children to live a good life and to make good decisions,” Edwards said.

Alex Zan is one of the Charlottesville 12 who helped desegregate Charlottesville schools.

“I’ve gotten national awards, state wide a lot,” Zan said. “Of course, this is a local, so it’s always good to get it from home folk, knowing that they appreciate it.”

Alex Zan is all about inspiring others and his work won’t end with this MLK award. He says he is already working on more projects to better the Charlottesville area.

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