SUFFOLK, Va. — Peanut Park in Suffolk is home to a piece of American history. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to speak to thousands there, just months before his March on Washington.
Moses A. Riddick Jr., a prominent civil rights activist and politician in Suffolk, played a key role in making that happen. Riddick founded the Independent Voters League in 1946 and helped bring Dr. King to Peanut Park for a freedom rally.
His nephew, John Riddick, says all it took was one phone call.
"One phone call, King was on a plane, they went to the airport, they all came here to Peanut Park," John Riddick said.
There, Dr. King spoke to thousands about voting rights and his plans for Washington.
A few years later, Riddick became the first Black delegate from Virginia to attend the Democratic National Convention in 1968. John Riddick says his uncle dedicated his life to the movement.
"He was an advocate, he got out, put his boots on the ground, even had me when I was 5 or 6 years old, me and my sister Angela passing out flyers going door to door urging people to vote. I mean he put all his heart in it," John Riddick said.
Years after helping bring Dr. King to Suffolk, Riddick became the city's first Black vice mayor following the merger with Nansemond County in 1974.
"He was the grassroots for a lot of things in the community that had happened. I mean we used to have ditches, now we have sidewalks," John Riddick said.
Moses Riddick passed away in 1991, but his family says his work helped shape the future of Suffolk through civic engagement and redevelopment efforts.
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