21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Walk Goes Virtual
Sumter, SC (01/11/2021) — The 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Walk is moving to a virtual format this year due to COVID-19. Instead of gathering to walk together as a large group, the organizers ask that participants take a photo of themselves on a walk sometime during Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 18. Photos may then be posted to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #2021SumterDreamWalk.
The Dream Walk is a community effort created to acknowledge and celebrate the meaning and purpose of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The theme for this year's walk is "Out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope," which is derived from Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
Typically, the Dream Walk is a 3-mile walk starting and ending at the USC Sumter campus and concludes with a program of celebration, which features a speech from the event's Grand Marshal. This year's Grand Marshal is the newly elected Sumter Mayor, David Merchant. Merchant's speech will be prerecorded and posted to the USC Sumter Facebook page on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
"The committee is disappointed we won't be able to have the face-to-face event this year," said Dream Walk Committee Chair, Alethia Hummel. "But we felt it was important to host the event virtually, so we could continue the tradition and honor the memory of Dr. King."
Participation in the virtual 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Walk is free and open to the public. More information about the event is available on the USC Sumter Facebook page (facebook.com/UniversityofSouthCarolinaSumter). The event is organized and sponsored by USC Sumter, Morris College and Central Carolina Technical College.
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The 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Walk will be held on January 18. The event is moving to a virtual format this year due to COVID-19.