WASHINGTON (HUNS) – Hundreds of residents gathered in Southeast D.C. last Monday for the 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday D.C. Parade and Peace Walk, a community event rooted in Ward 8 that honors King’s legacy and calls for unity and nonviolence.
Community members filled the streets with signs and chants, calling for peace and unity. Attendees said the walk served as a reminder that King’s message of nonviolence remains relevant today.
“I see nonviolence as the only way forward, and that’s exactly what [Dr. King] taught us,” says Elise Ketch, a resident of Dupont Circle. “We have to keep the legacy of MLK moving forward and living on.”
The parade was first held in 1977 to push for King’s birthday to be a federal holiday. The founders were Calvin W. Rolark, founder of The Washington Informer and the United Black Fund; his wife, Ward 8 Council member Wilhelmina J. Rolark, and activist and radio personality Ralph “Petey” Green.
Over the years, the parade has grown beyond a commemorative event into a broader gathering, highlighting local schools, youth groups and community organizations, all while creating a space for residents and families across wards to come together.
“Everybody always comes out or looks through their windows; they’re cheering everybody on,” said Tiffany, a Southeast D.C. resident whose daughter performs in Ballou High School’s marching band. “You have different schools from all over the city. Dance teams, cheer teams and bands all coming out to celebrate.”
Performances included local schools such as Mary McLeod Bethune Day Academy PCS Marching Eagles Drumline and Ballou’s Majestic Knight Marching Band.
At the end of the parade route, Denise Rolark Barnes, lead organizer and co-chair for the Peace Walk and Parade committee, stood on a small stage alongside Sam Ford, a former grand marshal and recently retired D.C. bureau chief of ABC 7 News, WJLA. They welcomed parade participants as they rolled through.
Barnes, Rolark’s daughter and his successor as publisher of the Informer, now leads the execution of the annual community event, continuing the tradition established more than four decades ago.
The parade also featured remarks from Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who connected King’s Legacy to ongoing investments in Ward 8 and current political challenges.
Bowser highlighted the district’s recent investments in Ward 8, citing new housing, food access and health care resources.
“We have delivered over $1 billion of investments to the great Ward 8, including a brand new hospital, hundreds of units of housing and more food access than we could’ve ever imagined,” Bowser said.
Schwalb framed the event as especially significant amid the current political climate.
“It’s a lot easier to break things than to make things, and this government that we have in the White House is doing a hell of a job breaking things,” Schwalb said. “That’s why it’s more important now than ever to honor Dr. King and what Dr. King left us with, which was not a dream, but a call to action.”
Ve Wright covers social issues for HUNewsService.com.
