“We don’t cancel unless it’s maybe snow on the ground or raining or something like that,” said Cliff Sparks.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Several Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations across DFW are adapting to forecasted cold temperatures, with some events proceeding as planned while others rescheduled.
In Fort Worth, parade organizer Cliff Sparks is moving forward with his 7th annual MLK Parade.
Sparks encourages everyone who wants to celebrate Dr. King to dress warmly and line the parade route. He hopes for a bigger crowd since other parade events have been postponed or canceled.
“Dr. Martin Luther King went through a lot,” said Cliff Sparks. “30 degrees, 40 degrees, we’re going to go with it. So, we don’t cancel unless it’s maybe snow on the ground or raining or something like that.”
Fort Worth community leader Bob Sanders, author of “Portrait of a Community in Black and White,” recalled King’s historical visit to the city.
“When I think about his visit to Fort Worth,” Sanders reflected. “That night that he spoke, 400 black people came through the front door of the Majestic Theater for the first time.”
Sanders believes he was one of the first people to initiate black people being allowed in the front door of the Majestic Theater after attending a movie alone. He shared that the next day he returned with a group of others also allowed inside unlike in the past. He credits King’s continuing fight for equality around the country and in Fort Worth.
Watch Bob Sanders full interview below
The parade, which starts at 11 a.m., will feature various community groups and performers. The route begins at Eastover Park located at 4300 Ramey Avenue, marches westbound toward Miller Avenue, turns left on Wilbarger Street, and ends at the Eugene McCray Community Center, where everyone will enjoy free festivities and have access to several food trucks.
“For this year’s parade, we have the Dunbar High School Marching Band. We have the shimmering Divas dance team. A lot of bands, teams and car clubs,” Sparks explained.
However, the City of Fort Worth’s downtown MLK Parade has been postponed until February 17 due to the cold forecast. This is the second year in a row that the weather has affected the parade.
For Sparks, the celebration carries deep meaning.
“That’s the reason why I want to keep his legacy alive,” he said.
The MLK Parade in Dallas will proceed as scheduled, beginning and ending at Fair Park.
The family of fallen Dallas Police Officer Darron Burks, who was killed in the line of duty last August, will serve as Grand Marshal in his honor.
The parade will leave from the Fair Park Pennsylvania Gate going westbound, then turn right on Latimer Street, proceed eastbound on MLK Boulevard, and re-enter Fair Park.