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Wheeling will celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with events planned for Sunday and Monday.
Martin Luther King Jr. day is a federal holiday being observed on Monday, and schools, banks and government offices will be closed that day.
Events start at 2 p.m. Sunday with the "March for Justice," which this year will begin at the First Christian Church, 1343 National Road in Wheeling. The march will proceed a short way down Washington Avenue, then turn at Curry Drive toward the back entrance to Wheeling Jesuit University.
Past years have seen the march take place down Wheeling Hill and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, but a decision was made to move the march so more people could see it, according to Jamey Brogan, Director of Campus Ministry, Mission and Identity at WJU. Brogan also serves along with Javier McCoy, coordinator of diversity and inclusion at WJU, as co-chairman of the Wheeling MLK Day Celebration Committee.
"While marching down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard had symbolic value, no one ever saw it," Brogan said. "There are no homes along there. And outside of the Mulholland Center, there is nothing active on the street. Visibility was an issue."
"We are hoping more people will be seeing the march, and this raises awareness."
He said WJU is please to take on a bigger role with the celebration, which is growing in popularity with students each year. Brogan credited the school's Black Student Union with doing "a great job" promoting issues surrounding racial understanding.
Following the march, an interfaith service is scheduled to take place beginning at 3 p.m. at the Chapel of Mary and Joseph on WJU campus. During the service, Elissa Gross will be presented with the Rosa Parks Award, and Tim Cogan will be given the Martin Luther King Award.
The afternoon concludes with a community dinner in the Benedum Room at WJU.
On Monday, the YWCA will host a community breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at its facility at 1110 Chapline St., Wheeling. Winners of the MLK essay, poem and video awards will be honored.
At 7 p.m. Monday, there will be a concert at at WJU's Troy Theatre featuring "ezra and the reletivs."
Ron Scott, cultural diversity and community outreach director for the Wheeling YWCA, also is a member of the Wheeling MLK Day Celebration Committee.
He has been involved with organizing MLK Day events for the past four years.
"It's important to me," Scott said. "It shows how lasting a legacy Dr. King had. Even after the government made it a national holiday, there are still groups who want to honor him.
"It's a time to reflect on the advancements made since his time, and to realize there is still work that needs to be done."