Dallas’ Annual MLK Parade was supposed to be held on MLK Day, but it was postponed due to the weather. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman shows us why the belated celebration still meant a lot to a lot of people.
Dozens of people showed up to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., on Saturday.
Dallas’ annual MLK Parade was supposed to be held on MLK Day but was postponed due to the weather.
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WATCH HEREThe parade, themed "Dream Forward," was hosted by the City of Dallas and H.E.L.P, a nonprofit that helps those in need. It started and ended at Fair Park, with music, marching bands, dancing, and, of course, plenty of floats. It was more than a celebration to a lot of attendees, though, it was also a reminder of his message.
"It was the ultimate dream, to have everyone come together, everyone be able to say, ‘I’m proud of who I am,’” said Briana Belk, who lives nearby.
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SIGN UP “It’s all-inclusive. It’s not just the Black, it’s just not the white — it’s all of us," said Fred Winn, an attendee who lives in Dallas.
King’s 1963 speech echoed over the crowd from loudspeakers, 60 years later.
“That speech was powerful and that kind of resonates to today," said attendee Leslie Scoby, who has been attending the parade for five years, and brings her son. She wants him to “know where we come from, how it was back then to... what progress we’ve made today.”
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Briana Belk grew up hearing stories about King from her grandma, who was part of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
“And when we have children, I’m going to pass those same stories down to them. I mean, we’re nothing if we don’t know our history," Belk said.
These parade attendees say whether the event was rescheduled or not, the cold wasn’t going to stop them from coming out, to make sure King's dream lives on.
“The idea of equality, inclusion, judging people by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Those were important messages back then, they’re important messages now, and it will be important messages going forward, in the future," said Brian Chapman, who came out with Belk.
"If we don’t show up, then it will die," Winn said.
