Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy: Blount County’s 2025 MLK Day Celebrations

Written by: Emily Huffstetler

On Memorial Day, 1960, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the graduating class of Knoxville College: 

“We’re on the threshold of the most constructive period in history with regard to race relations. I’m convinced that segregation is on its death bed and the only thing uncertain is the day it will be buried.”  

Speaking to thousands in attendance, he urged peaceful protest as the path to racial equality. “The temptation, for those of us who have been trampled on, is to enter the new age with hate and revenge in mind. If we do that, the new order will be nothing more than a duplication of the old,” Dr. King said. 

At just 31 years old, the co-pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church was emerging as one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement. Three years later, he would deliver his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 

Tragically, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis while preparing to lead a march in support of striking sanitation workers. Yet, his legacy prevails—and members of the Blount County MLK Celebration Planning Committee invite the community to join in celebrating it. 

The committee has three observances planned for the 2025 MLK Day holiday and preceding weekend (Jan. 17-20), with the theme “Realizing the Dream Through Service and the Arts”. 

Kicking things off, the annual MLK Day Business Luncheon will take place at noon, Jan. 17, at the Airport Hilton. Denise J. Dean, executive director of the East Tennessee Freedom Schools (ETFS), will be the keynote speaker. The deadline to reserve seats is Jan. 13. 

Elder Bobby Fields, Jr., pastor at Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Loudon, will lead a community worship service at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church (537 N. Hall Road, Alcoa) on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. The Overflow will provide the music. 

All are encouraged to participate in the annual MLK Day March, led by Grand Marshal Larry Ervin, former director of the MLK Celebration Mass Choir. The march will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Community Center in Alcoa and conclude at the Maryville College Clayton Center for the Arts (CCA), where an afternoon celebration will follow. 

Engaging local youth, the event will feature performances by the Alcoa High School Concert Choir and the William Blount High School Theatre program. The program cover will showcase a mixed-media portrait of Dr. King, created by 9th-grade Maryville Junior High School student, Ella McNulty, who won the 2025 Blount County MLK Celebration Art/Design Contest. 

Marc Burnett, an Alcoa native and commissioner with the Tennessee Arts Commission, will unveil a new painting, which he will donate to the MLK Center in Alcoa. Attendees can also explore his exhibit, “REMNANTS”. 

Additionally, five local nonprofit organizations—All Are Worthy, Hall-Oldfield-Maryville Empowerment Inc. (H.O.M.E. Inc.), Safe Families for Children, the Welcome Table and the MLK Center—will be present to share information about service opportunities. 

To learn more, visit the Blount County MLK Celebration Facebook page. 

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Born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, with roots tracing back to Cades Cove, Emily Huffstetler is a proud Maryville College graduate and passionate storyteller of the Greater Smokies region.