BEAUMONT, Texas — The Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Beaumont was rescheduled, but the community showed up on time during the chilly Saturday morning.
Children, parents and other organizations participated in the annual MLK day parade to honor the civil rights legend.
“It’s a celebration, of all histories to bring all black people together, along with the white people, to celebrate his dreams that he had in life for us,” said two-year parade participant Carlara Ravare.
The parade started at the intersection of East Lavaca Street and University Drive. Children and parents lined up along sidewalks of the route that ended at King Middle school in Beaumont.
The parade was led by the middle school’s band. Other Southeast Texas schools and spirit squads weren’t too far behind.
We spoke with Albert Turner, community leader and an organizer of the parade, who stressed the importance of the annual parade.
“In our culture and our heritage, it’s important to teach our youth what they are going to look forward to. Our youth is our future and if our youth don’t understand the history of our heritage, it’ll be impossible for them to have pride in what they’re doing,”Turner said.
