Pleas for Humanity Echo in King's Name

Events Honoring Slain Civil Rights Leader Call for Nonviolence, Unity, Justice

Racial harmony and public service were the day's messages -- a plea for unity and nonviolence from ministers and politicians, from parade marchers and community activists -- as people across the Washington area and the nation celebrated the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday marking what would have been his 77th birthday.

At a prayer breakfast in Lanham, at a church service in the District, at a parade in Leesburg, at a gathering in an old slave cabin in Montgomery County, people spoke of tolerance and justice.

"That was the most important message from the most important man in the most violent century in the history of mankind," the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former D.C. delegate to Congress and long-ago confidant of the slain civil rights leader, told a gathering at the Tenth Street Baptist Church in Northwest Washington.

Drawing on a quote from his old friend, Fauntroy said that if King were alive, "he would remind us that either we live together as brothers and sisters on this planet or we will perish together as fools."

In Leesburg, hundreds of people marched from the Loudoun County courthouse to the Douglass Community Center, formerly the segregated Douglass School.

"We're all here to honor the man and honor the dream," said James Thornton, a Douglass graduate who said he has marched in all 14 of Leesburg's King Day events.

As the drum line from the Loudoun County High School marching band led the group out of downtown Leesburg, Gwen Whiting of Paeonian Springs walked with friends from Providence Baptist Church.

"Martin Luther King said to reach out to all cultures and people," Whiting said. "He tried to get everyone to understand it's not just about one race; it's what we all need. I'm hopeful everyone can see how positive a movement can be without violence."

President Bush celebrated the holiday by taking in a gospel performance and viewing the Emancipation Proclamation. The document, signed by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and on display from Friday until yesterday at the National Archives, declared an end to slavery in the rebellious states.

In Maryland, befitting the start of a big election year, politicians were out among voters, speaking stirringly of King's legacy.

At Hope Christian Church in Lanham, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R) recalled the day when, as a 10-year-old boy, he walked in on his mother weeping. He did not know that King had just been killed and asked what was wrong.

"She told me a member of the family, a friend of the family, had just passed away," Steele said.