ORLANDO, Fla. – Marching bands, drum lines, dance teams, sororities, fraternities and dozens of community organizations lined the streets of downtown Orlando Saturday morning.
It was for for the city’s 40th annual MLK parade, aimed at honoring the ultimate sacrifice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Janada Ward was at the parade and said it’s vital for her daughter and nephew to learn early about a civil rights icon who fought for equality, justice and so much more.
“It’s very important for them to understand the history because it took a lot for us to get here and to see that we can accomplish and do anything,” Ward said.
The weather was perfect for the parade Saturday morning as hundreds of people came out to to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
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The parade was hosted by the Southwest Orlando Jaycees. This year’s parade theme was, “It Starts with Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate Through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence.”
“So we understand what Dr. King stood for and we want to keep that alive and we teach our young people this is what it took to get to where we are today,” said Dana Mackey, president of Southwest Orlando Jaycees.
Annual MLK parade now underway in downtown Orlando. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/ITcUy8NQRK
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Jasmine Burney Clark was the grand marshal for the parade. She’s the founder of a statewide civic engagement organization called Equal Ground that pushes for equality for all of us and educates people on the importance of voting — things Dr. King Stood for.
“We are trying to do our best as much as possible to contribute to what it looks like for all of us to not only survive but also thrive in this community,” Clark said. “It’s also about building a just democracy, something that we know that Dr. King stood for. We know that he was a humanitarian and that is the work we want to continue to do.”
She and many others say the fight for equality is not over.
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