Hundreds come out for 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People started to line up on Waters Street two hours before the 40th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.

The parade kicked off at 11 a.m. with police cars, floats, motorcycles, ROTC units, marching bands, and dancers. People were also giving out candy, t-shirts, and masks to people who weren’t wearing one. The crowd was spread out this year due to the pandemic, but hundreds still showed up. For many, it’s an annual tradition.

67-year-old Rudy Bodie and 87-year-old Juanita Owens brought their families to the parade. They grew up drinking out of segregated water fountains in Jacksonville and seeing the news of King’s assassination. They want their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and now even great-great-grandchildren to know about their history.

“So I’ve witnessed a lot of stuff and I need to let them know what it was back then for when I was growing up, I was still drinking out of the colored water fountains. So they need to know that things have changed. They need to know where we’ve come from and they need to know where we’re going,” Owens said. “So in order for them to know that, they need to just carry the legacy on to their children and their children and let them know why we celebrate this day.”

The annual event, presented by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation and the Office of Ron Sholes P.A celebrates King’s life and legacy while sharing his message of equality, opportunity and service to others.

“We should always celebrate him because things have changed for the better. There is still a lot of change that need to be done, but right now it’s better than it was, we say 10, 15, 20 years ago,” Owens said.

1 of 14