The 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade, drumline, street festival and leadership breakfast have been postponed until the beginning of April due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
The Improvement League of Plant City, CDC, which organizes the event each year, announced last week the event — which typically takes place around Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January — will now take place in April.
The MLK parade, drumlines and street festival will be held on Saturday, April 3 in the observance of the assassination of Dr. King April 4 (Easter Sunday). The Plant City MLK Leadership Breakfast will be held the following Sunday on April 11, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. at the Trinkle Center, Hillsborough Community College, Plant City Campus.
The parade applications already received by the Improvement League will be maintained unless the applicant is unavailable for the date of April 3. The time, location, and route will be the same.
“The decision to postpone came after much discussion with residents, sponsors, various agencies and communication with the King Center based in Atlanta, Georgia,” William Thomas, president of the Improvement League of Plant City, CDC, said in a news release. “Plant City MLK Festival organizers submit activities every year to the King Center and King Family to ensure activities held are appropriate and adhere to the legacy of Dr. King.”
Though the event will not be held on its traditional weekend this year, the new date bears much significance for those who wish to honor King’s legacy. There are few moments in this nation’s history that left the impact that was felt on April 4, 1968 when King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN.
King had been a key leader of the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s and used the power of his passionate speeches and the courage of his dedication to nonviolent protests to fight the injustice of segregation. With his leadership, the United States came one step closer to living up to its declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The nation — and much of the world — mourned King’s passing and many still pay homage on this historic day. The MLK Fest aims to create a city-wide moment of reflection toward the lessons King taught as well as to offer a celebration for the growth the nation has undergone thanks to King’s leadership.
The Plant City MLK Festival will conclude with a celebration on Florida Emancipation Day on May 20 at the Plant City Bing Rooming House African American Museum.