Commissioners proclaim Jan. 15, 2024 MLK Jr. Day

Hays County Commissioners Court adopted a proclamation recognizing Jan. 15, 2024 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to commemorate his 96th birthday and the tenth reunion of the Crossroads Memorial in San Marcos. The Dunbar Heritage Association President Alex Banbury invited the public to attend the events occurring from Jan. 13 to 15. at various locations throughout San Marcos.

The celebration will begin with the Dunbar MLK Kids Event on Saturday Jan. 13th at the San Marcos Public Library. Banbury said to register children on the DHA website before the event.

“The kids will have their own personal march that they do around the library,” Banbury said.

The Trailblazers Reunion is on Sunday Jan. 14 at the San Marcos Public Library. Then on Monday Jan. 15, which is also the ten year reunion of the Crossroads Memorial, the holiday commemoration starts with the Crossroads re-dedication at 9 a.m. at the corner of LBJ Dr. and MLK Dr. followed by a wreath laying ceremony. Then there will be a walk to the Hays County Courthouse with music and food vendors.

“We’re asking people to go on our website. There’s three ways you can get involved,” Banbury said. “Register your groups if you want to lay a wreath at the crossroads, and also register your groups if you want to walk.”

The National Holiday for the historic figure will be observed on Jan. 15, which will celebrate the birthday of this significant civil rights leader who inspired profound and lasting change in the nation.

“The purpose of this holiday is to encourage all Americans to fulfill Martin Luther King’s vision of freedom, equality and opportunity of all people,” the proclamation stated. “Local, state and national organizations will remember this great man by living the theme of the 2024 holiday Meet Me at the Crossroads. Behind this theme, seeks to highlight the ten year anniversary of the LBJ and MLK crossroads memorial and underscore the symbolic significance of the multiple intersections of place, space, time and race represented in the joining of these historic streets and crossroads that Dr. King and our nation faced during the civil rights movement.”

Each year the citizens of our nation and Hays County in general celebrate the contributions made by King.

“The Dunbar Heritage Association, along with the San Marcos Arts Commission and the Crossroads Committee, invited the public to observe the holiday from January 13th through the 15th. In honor of the 22nd anniversary of hosting this celebration and Dr. King’s 96th birthday,” the proclamation stated.

Hays County Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe said she appreciated the planning of these festivities.

“Every year it gets larger and larger with more participation,” Ingalsbe said. “It’s wonderful that we can come together, united as a community, celebrating this wonderful day. We really appreciate all that you do. So thank you so much, and I look forward to being there.”

Hays County Commissioner Michelle Cohen said she would be participating in some of the events and looked forward to them as well.

“Congratulations on the work that you all are doing and continue to do,” Cohen said.

Hays County Commissioner Walt Smith encouraged county residents that do not live in San Marcos to look into events being held in King’s honor in their respective cities on the DHA website.

“At the end of the day, there’s something we have in each of our communities to celebrate this,” Smith said.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra agreed and thanked the DHA for featuring the other events throughout the county on the website.

“Good job for reaching for that common unity theme and uniting [the] community at every breath and every turn,” Becerra said.

More information and registration can be found at this link: dhasmtx.com.