A new program commemorating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. highlighted the birthday activities in the city.
The Alexandria Volunteer Bureau sponsored a quilt-making program for young people at the Cora Kelly Recreation Center on Jan. 19.
Approximately 50 children between the ages of 5 and 16 contributed. The students participated in oral histories about Dr. King prior to the event and then designed quilt panels based on these presentations.
Adult volunteers assisted with the drawings and sewed the quilt. It will be quilted by Madeline Shepperson and her staff at Quilts-N-Stuff on Richmond Highway.
“It was really a wonderful event and I wish I could have stayed the whole day,” said Mayor William D. Euille.
“The young people asked me lots of questions about being mayor and growing up in Alexandria. They also wanted to know how I felt about watching Dr. King on television as a youngster and what we did and how we felt when he was shot. Their questions and comments were very thoughtful,” Euille said.
When it is completed, the quilt will hang for some period of time at City Hall. It will eventually have a permanent home at the city’s Black History Resource Center.