McArthur Myers, center, is joined by local dignitaries in unveiling a bench dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. June 22 at Charles Houston Recreation Center. Myers and former George Washington Masonic National Memorial executive director George Seghers, third from left, donated the bench in memory of the slain Civil Rights leader.
The City of Alexandria honored the memory of slain Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a bench dedication, part of a Civil Rights Appreciation Day ceremony June 22 at Charles Houston Recreation Center.
“Today we are paying tribute to the impact and the legacy of the Civil Rights movement,” said Mayor Justin Wilson of the ceremony that also honored the recently deceased Ira Robinson, the first African American elected to City Council since Reconstruction. “Ira Robinson was elected to the council in 1970 in the aftermath of the unrest and extremely difficult period for our city. In the issues we work on today the legacy of Ira Robinson lives on.”
Wilson presented a proclamation to two of Robinson’s children who were in attendance.
“It’s an honor to be here knowing that this is where Daddy did his work and made so many changes in the city,” said Robinson’s daughter Cary, who traveled from California to attend the ceremony. “He’s our hero and a hero to Alexandria. He’s a trailblazer and always has been and I feel like he is here with us today.”
The centerpiece of the day’s ceremony was the unveiling of an engraved bench dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. The bench was commissioned and donated by McArthur Myers and George Seghers, the former executive director of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
“Today is the result of a conversation between myself and brother Mac discussing the MLK birthday celebration and realizing that nothing in the city is dedicated to Rev. King,” Seghers said. “We must not let the great deeds of this truly great man slip into obscurity. We must remember and honor him and learn from what he said and what he did.”
Wilson praised the efforts of Seghers and Myers, a Living Legend of Alexandria.
“McArthur is a walking history book, a walking encyclopedia of Alexandria history,” Wilson said. “He is someone who doesn’t just talk about our history, he actually gets things done in an incredible way.”
Other dignitaries in attendance included Councilman Kirk McPike, City Manager James Parajon, Sheriff Sean Casey, and former Congressman Jim Moran.
“When I came to Alexandria in 1970, Martin Luther King had been assassinated, Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated,” Moran said. “After Martin Luther King had been assassinated, communities all over the country decided that they were not going to let this be the end of his mission. Men like Ira Robinson said we are going to stand up, we will take on that banner.”
Andy Evans was a close friend of Robinson and served as his campaign manager.
“Dr. King inspired me to be a community organizer,” Evans said. “His legacy inspired my work with Ira, who won as an independent candidate, the first African American elected to City Council since reconstruction.”
Moran, who served on City Council and as mayor prior to being elected to Congress, recognized the heroic efforts in Alexandria’s Civil Rights movement.
“There was a will that was determined to see justice for everyone, to make this a fully inclusive and diverse community,” Moran said. “I couldn’t possibly list all the heroic figures that stood up to make that difference. We are honoring some of them today but also honoring a movement – a movement that will be sustained. We point out heroes of the past to inspire the leaders of the future.”
Added Seghers, “At this tumultuous time in the history of our country, when we need his example and his knowledge more than ever, we can learn much from what Martin Luther King said and how he lived.”