Aug. 27, 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial at Anne Arundel Community College. The memorial at AACC is the only one in Maryland that honors Dr. King and predates the King Memorial in Washington, D.C. August also marks the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
“We are honored to have such a prominent memorial on our campus that allows students and all members of our community the opportunity to learn more about Dr. King and his legacy,” said interim president, Tanya Millner, Ed. D. “The anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington is a time to examine what Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech means today.”
The memorial was donated to the college by the nonprofit Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, Inc., chaired by Carl O. Snowden, a prominent Anne Arundel County civil rights activist. The memorial was designed by the internationally acclaimed sculptor Ed Dwight, who also designed the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at the Annapolis City Dock.
"We hope that during the observance of the 1963 March on Washington, citizens will visit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial,” Snowden said. “When we donated the King memorial to the college, it was determined that this location would be ideal as Anne Arundel Community College is the place where dreams are realized.”
During the original dedication in 2006, attendees included the late U.S. Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes; Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Jr.; late Speaker Michael E. Busch; then-County Executive Janet S. Owens; and Gerald Stansbury, who represented the Anne Arundel County NAACP.
The memorial was rededicated in 2019 and the keynote speaker for the event was 22-year-old Annapolis Alderman DaJuan Gay, one of the youngest African Americans ever elected in Anne Arundel County.
Find directions to the memorial.