Bringing together hundreds of community members, the City of Round Rock hosted their 38th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Walk and Celebration on Saturday, Jan 18, marking a significant evolution from its humble beginnings. The event began at 1 p.m. at Buck Egger Park, where participants gathered before marching north over the bridge to Centennial Plaza, where the event concluded with a commemoration ceremony featuring musical performances, speeches, and various community presentations.

What started as a small community gathering has transformed into a cornerstone event that brings together churches, schools, and local organizations in Round Rock. Through the years, the celebration has adapted and grown, with each change carefully orchestrated by dedicated volunteers and community members who understand the importance of celebrating this crucial part of American history. Long-time participants, such as Good Hope Baptist Church member Ms. Helena Gibson, have witnessed this transformation firsthand, and have overseen the celebration move from small indoor venues to a visible, community-wide demonstration of unity.

“When I started about  10 years ago, [the celebration] used to be inside,” Ms. Gibson said, “We would have City Folk School, Good Hope [Baptist Church], Sweet Home, and One Way Baptist Church get together [to] come and sing. We had different speakers from all different places. Sometimes we had speakers from Texas, some from California. The schools and a lot of the churches participated in it, and then of course the Black History Organization would meet every year and we would plan different things leading up to that march. It’s the one time everybody [gets] together with nobody having any disagreements and everything and everybody was on one accord. So it made it fun, the event was fun, and we look forward to it every year.” 

The significance of this annual gathering extends far beyond its ceremonial aspects, as it also serves as a crucial educational tool for the younger generation. The day’s events included welcome remarks from Round Rock Black History Organization board members Ms. Pamela Cotton and Ms. Tina Steiner, followed by an invocation for Pastor Sharian Brown and a moving performance of the Pledge of Allegiance by The C.D. Fulkes Middle School Choir. Attendee Ms. Taylor Board, who brought her five-year-old son Tommy to the march, believed she spoke on behalf of all parents when she expressed that the celebration was a unique way to introduce their children to civil rights history in a tangible, meaningful way. 

“We haven’t lived in Round Rock for very long,” Ms. Board said, “ I used to do the one in Austin every year but we decided to do this one with our son for the first time this year because, first of all, it was short enough that he could actually make the length.
And secondly, you know, he’s five and he has started learning about Martin Luther King and what he did and, and the civil rights movement in general, [so] we wanted to support that education. We think it’s really important for him to know about the history of our country and what we’ve been through [because] the message is really important. We as parents really support the civil rights movement and think it’s so important, [and] by bringing him to events like this and and showing him that, [even] in a state like Texas, where it can feel a little lonely sometimes, there is a community that surrounds us — I think [that] is really important.”

For those who have spent their lives in Round Rock, the annual celebration serves as both a reminder of progress made and a call to continue working toward positive change. Emotional performances by the C.D. Fulkes Middle School Choir and upbeat tunes sung by Good Hope Baptist Church Choir punctuated the ceremony, while Pastor K.A. “Shawn” Dooley delivered a powerful guest speech about Dr. King’s legacy of love. The transformation of the community over the decades is evident not just in the growth of the event itself, but in the increasing diversity of Round Rock’s social scene. 

“I’ve been doing this event for 10 years,” Round Rock Black History Organization Secretary Tina Steiner said, “I’m a teacher at a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program in Round Rock and I teach my kids about voice and choice, and attending to those who don’t always have a voice, and [so] the message we send [through this event] is so important. I was born and raised here [in Round Rock]. I’ve been here for fifty five years, and I’ve seen a significant change in the community because of events like this.”

The involvement of local law enforcement and community leaders played a crucial role in maximizing the event’s impact. Through continued support and active involvement, the leaders helped bridge gaps and create spaces for meaningful dialogue about race, quality, and justice. The ceremony concluded with the singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” led by Claudia Washington, followed by a benediction from Parsa Vazin of the Baha’i Faith. Their presence serves as a powerful reminder of how far the community has come and the ongoing work necessary to achieve Dr. King’s vision. 

“We need to work together to make sure that the community is in touch with each other’s feelings, beliefs, theories and work together as one,” Police Chief Allen Banks said, “Because, the last five letters in ‘community’ spell unity, U-N-I-T-Y, and that’s what makes it such a strong community. I’ve been on the Round Rock Black History Organization now for about eight years, and they have been doing a lot, trying to bring youth especially to understand that you don’t have to sit at home and just play video games, but get involved [and] be active. We have to change systemic racism, we have to be the force in our communities, because it takes all of us to make a strong community, and if we can get [out there] and just influence one, we’re making a difference. Youth is our future and if we don’t invest in our future now, then we’ve lost that future. The more we invest in that future, the brighter that future is gonna be.”