Dallas’ Annual MLK Parade and Celebration kicks off

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Celebrating Our Heritage held a kick off press conference for the upcoming Dallas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March/Parade and Celebration earlier this week. The march/parade marks the first time Dallas will have only one march/parade observing the Dr. King birthday holiday celebration.

Historically Dallas has had two march/parades in the city over the Dr. King celebration weekend.  One held for on Saturday organized by the City of Dallas Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.  One held on Monday organized by a community organizer. This year, the two have consolidated to create one grand march/parade that will be held on the Dr. King holiday observance. This year the North Dallas Gazette is delighted to be a media partner with the wonderful weekend.

In recent days there have been some concerns regarding the changes in the parade’s annual tradition of having two different parades. However, Mayor Mike Rawlings addressed those concerns at the press conference on Monday immediately.

“”To face the challenges we must face, we must come together to be able to do that. So this unification of one parade is a symbol for a man who stood for unity,” Rawlings said.

The annual march/parade brings together over 200,000 enthusiastic parade spectators and participants for the event and it is considered the largest African American family-oriented event held in North Texas and one of the top 10 largest Dr. King commemorative events in the United States.  This year for the first time, the grand parade will be televised live on NBC 5 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. extending the reach into over 1.4 million households throughout North Texas.

This year’s grand march/parade will feature urban radio legend Tom Joyner as the parade grand marshal.  Other celebrities set to appear in include actress Tasha Smith (FOX’s Empire, Oprah  Winfrey Network For Better Or Worse), actor Lamman Rucker (Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too), Miss Black USA Madison Gibbs, DJ Holiday of Atlanta with special performances by African diaspora stilt walkers The Brooklyn Jumbies, Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team and the Southern Methodist University Mustang Band.  There will be over 150 parade entries featuring marching bands, floats, schools, community organizations, churches, elected officials, cars and much more.  

Following the march/parade a Celebration will be held at Fair Park featuring live entertainment, health and wellness resources, children’s activities, college and career fair, job placement, fashion and hair show, actor’s workshop with Tasha Smith and Lamman Rucker, car show, food, vendors and more. Admission is free.  

Proceeds from this year’s march/parade will benefit the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and the City of Dallas William Blair Jr. Park.

For more information on the march/parade and celebration, log on to www.DallasMLK.com or call 214.938.4211 to participate in the march/parade, celebration or volunteer.