City of Columbia to host 37th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration service
January 14, 2025
The City of Columbia will be hosting the 37th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration service on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at 2300 Green Street, Columbia, SC 29205. Prior to the service there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the corner of Harden and Green Street at 3:06 p.m.
The service will be held in celebration of national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which falls on Monday, January 20, 2025. Dr. John H. Dozier, President of Columbia College, will serve as the Keynote Speaker for the event.
Columbia native Dr. John H. Dozier began his career as a corporate consultant and executive, and now he has served as a higher education senior administrator for 21 years. Dozier held pivotal roles at the City Colleges of Chicago, including Chief Information Officer, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and President of Kennedy-King College. He served as the first Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Associate Provost at the University of South Carolina, spearheading community engagement and strategic initiatives aimed to enhance belonging and equity across the university.
Dozier received the Richard A. Rempel Faculty Award from the University of South Carolina in 2016 and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from South Carolina State University in 2015. He has served on numerous boards and committees, including Historic Columbia, EdVenture Children’s Museum, Central Carolina Community Foundation, and Serve and Connect. He is a current member of the Boston Arts Academy Foundation Board, the MIT Press Management Board, and the Midlands Business Leadership Group.
Dozier holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from South Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Education degrees from DePaul University (Chicago, IL). He and his wife, Victoria, have been married for 27 years. They owned and operated The Language Buzz, Columbia’s first world-language learning center. Together, they have three children: Olivia, Evans, and Sophia.
A bus shuttle will be provided for the service by the City of Columbia Park and Recreation Department. The bus shuttle will run from the parking deck at 2221 Devine Street, accessible from Lee Street.
WHAT: City of Columbia’s 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration
WHO: Columbia College President Dr. John H. Dozier, Columbia City Council members, City Parks and Recreation Officials, City Officials, Partnering Sponsors
WHERE: Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, 2300 Greene St, Columbia, SC 29205
WHEN: Saturday, January 25 at 4 p.m., wreath laying ceremony at 3:06 p.m.
