Members of the Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc. fraternity, of which Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a member, step in front of the reviewing stand for the annual MLK peace walk and parade in Anacostia.
Frigid temperatures and a dusting of snow didn’t stop crowds from enjoying the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Walk and Parade in Washington D.C. ‘s Ward 8.
The 2.1-mile march began at Anacostia’s R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center and proceeded down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE to the newly renamed Marion Barry Avenue SE into Anacostia Park.
The Peace Walk led the way down MLK Jr. Avenue in Southeast D.C.Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
The Peace Walk included young people in purple hoodies declaring "I Am a Peace Maker." Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
The walk commemorates the life and legacy of the civil rights icon and included peace walkers, members of the faith community, Mayor Muriel Bowser and other local politicians, as well as bands from as far away as New Jersey and Norfolk, Va.
Dajaun Gant holds a photo of his brother, Brandon Gant, who was killed in 2023 a few days before his birthday. Dajaun was part of the Peace Rally assembly at Shepherd Parkway which then led the MLK Peace Walk and Parade.
Before the parade, community members advocating for violence reduction held a peace rally. Led by faith leaders, young people with “I Am a Peace Maker” hoodies, and people carrying photos of loved ones lost to gun violences, the rally goers then joined the parade.
The young “peacemakers” were recruited by their high schools in the hope that “they lead the charge to stop the violence,” said DeJuan Mason, co-organizer of the peace rally.
Elvera Patrick, Golden Miss Washington D.C. 2023 and Miss USA Photogenic Queen 2022, walks along the parade route with her granddaughter, Princess Patrick, 6.
“We are bringing peace on Dr. King’s day. We are also uplifting mothers that have lost children to gun violence this year, because we are doing a huge Stop the Violence campaign,” said Mason.
The rally was also to celebrate Ward 8, Mason added.
A parade watcher waves at members of one of the bands along the route.The Eastern High School band and dance team perform in front of the reviewing stand in Anacostia.At left, Dr. Rhonda L. Hamilton with the Healthy D.C. and Me Leadership Coalition and other people wave signs of protest for the political figures in the parade to see. The signs point out bad living conditions in D.C. housing.Members of the Ms. Full-Figured D.M.V. Pageant march along the parade route.A member of the dance team for Booker T. Washington High School Band from Norfolk, Va., dances near the reviewing stage for the parade in Anacostia.Members of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia line up for a photo of their group after finishing the MLK parade.
“We are talking about how vibrant we are, how amazing we are, the culture of ward 8, the beauty of ward 8,” Mason said. “We are trying to come against the narrative that everything over here is sad and depressing.”
Tyrone Turner
