A special program honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 50th anniversary of the city declaring a holiday in the slain civil rights leader’s name, begins 3 p.m., Jan.15 at the Petersburg Public Library, 201 W. Washington St.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Barrye L. Price, retired president and chief operating officer of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), will be the guest speaker. A military graduate of the University of Houston’s College of Business Administration, he also has a master’s degree in history from Texas A&M University. When Maj. Gen. Price earned a doctorate degree at Texas A&M in 1997, he was the first African-American to obtain a doctorate from that department.

The MLK Day program will include a musical performance from local soul music artist Rodney Stith.

The first 100 people to arrive will receive a commemorative gift, according to program organizers.

In addition, a proclamation will be made Jan. 17 recognizing the city’s 1973 City Council, which was one of the first localities in Virginia to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday for city employees. The holiday was designated to begin Jan.15 of that year, in honor of the civil rights icon’s birthday. City council members that year included Mayor Hermanze Fauntleroy, Vice Mayor Donald Houser, Councilwoman Florence Farley, Councilman Roy Hines, Councilman Clyde Johnson, Councilman John Slate and Councilman John VanLandingham.

The federal holiday recognizing Dr. King did not pass until 1986, following decades of work by his wife, Coretta Scott King.

For more information, contact Joanne Williams at jwilliams@petersburg-va.org or (804) 347-3321.