Unity March and Day of Service
Date and Time
Monday Jan 16, 2017
12:30 PM - 3:00 PM EST
March - 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Service - all day
Location
March - intersection of S. Washington Street and Tinner Hill Road
Service Projects - throughout the area. See above for more info
Website
Unity March and Day of Service
Description
The City Honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with Unity March, Service Projects
Unity March
The Tinner Hill Foundation is organizing a March for Unity, Racial Healing and Justice followed by a celebration program. Marchers representing diverse races, religions, ethnicities and more, will walk to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King and gather for a program of unity, racial healing, and justice. The half mile march will begin at the Tinner Hill Historic Monument, where 100 years ago the first rural NAACP began in once-segregated Falls Church, VA, and end at City Hall. Participants will join together to march, sing, and stand in unity. The event will focus attention on the need for communities to come together peacefully and demand justice for those whose rights are in danger of being violated. It will encourage a dialogue on solutions to heal our nation’s divisiveness. The Fairfax County NAACP and the Northern Virginia Urban League are expected to join the event.The march line-up begins at 12:30 p.m. on the sidewalks of the intersection of South Washington St. (Rt. 29) and Tinner Hill Rd. The march will start at 1 p.m. and will end at City Hall (300 Park Ave.).
At City Hall, a two-hour program will feature a video honoring Dr. King and an open panel discussion. Confirmed panel speakers include:
- White House Deputy Counsel Atty. Raheemah Karim
- U.S. Rep. Donald Beyer (D-VA)
- Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church
- Kofi Annan, President, Fairfax County NAACP
- Michael Davis, Acting Chair, Northern Virginia Urban League
- Garland Nixon, WPFW-FM radio host
- Students For Change from J.E.B. Stuart High School, Falls Church, which is spearheading the effort to change its name from a Confederate soldier
Day of Service
The City Council declared January 16 to be an official Day of Service. "Service to others is a hallmark of the American character, and central to how Falls Church meets challenges," the proclamation reads. "Ordinary citizens, armed with compassion and the willingness to serve, can come together to change the world and pursue the Nation’s highest ideals." The City will join thousands of communities around the country in a national day of service projects. City Council, board and commission members, and staff will prepare lunches for a homeless shelter. A number of volunteer opportunities are available for community members:
- Search a database managed by the Corporation for National and Community Service
- Search a database managed by All for Good
About The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation
The Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation in the City of Falls Church, VA, was founded in 1997 to preserve the early civil rights history of the area. At Tinner Hill in 1915, a few brave African American citizens, led by Dr. E.B. Henderson and Joseph Tinner, fought a proposed ordinance that instituted segregated housing. They called themselves the Colored Citizens Protective League which evolved to become the first rural branch of the NAACP in the nation. Tinner became its president. Henderson was best known for his letters-to-the-editor, mostly about civil rights, and more than 3,000 were published. The Washington Post claimed that he was the most published letter writer in their history. He was also known as the father of black basketball. His wife, Mary Ellen Henderson, served as principal of the colored school. The Foundation produces the Tinner Hill Blues Festival, held annually in Falls Church City, and several other cultural and historical and participatory programs.
