Augusta, GA (WJBF) – The City of Augusta teamed up with the Augusta branch of the NAACP on Saturday afternoon at the Black History Month Parade in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.
Hundreds of people came on a warm sunny day to watch the parade. The Black History Month parade was originally a parade on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was supposed to be held in January, but due to the growing number of COVID cases caused by the Omicron variant, the organizers decided to postpone it.
“It’s the first time we’ve combined it with Black History Month, and it gives us something to really look at. We can go back and talk well about it. And I think it will be bigger and better. We’ve been doing this for quite some time. Probably more than 25 years, ”said Rev. Melvin Ivey, president of the Augusta NAACP branch.
Rev. Ivy said Saturday was a great day for the parade and that one should consider moving it to February. He explained that the parade has about 100 applications, and its planning takes about four months. He recognized Ingrid Carter for all her hard work in organizing the parade.
“Today is just the culmination of a lot of hard work on her and her team. So I take off my hat in front of them. I do not claim success in this. I just tell her: okay, keep me posted and all I can do is help, any phone calls I can make, any buttons I can press. I am more than happy to help do it, ”he said.
Rev. Ivy said he believes the parade is important because it reminds people that Dr. King was willing to give his life for what he believed in.