For the second consecutive year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and celebration will not be held in-person. Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, the MLK Day committee made the decision to cancel this year’s march.
“We feel with the rise of more and more COVID-19 cases that keeps coming up that this will be in the best interest for all of us at this time,” said Shorty Mitchell, MLK Day committee chair.
Communities in the area have also canceled marches due to COVID-19, and Mitchell believed it was best to follow suit. Last week, the city of Austin canceled its march, along with San Antonio, which is billed as the largest march in the nation.
“It’s the only thing to do at this time, considering surrounding areas are canceling their events,” he said.
Mitchell said canceling the event is bittersweet because they will lose the opportunity to have more participation.
“The bitter part is knowing when everyone else is canceling around me, the bitter part is knowing we couldn’t capitalize on other people,” he said. “At the same time, the sweet part is the decision had to be made with COVID and the Omicron rising more and more each day.”
The committee met Tuesday night to officially make the announcement to the group and discuss alternative plans. Mitchell said the committee fully supported the decision.
“I want to make it clear it was a committee decision, led by my decision with the support of the committee,” he said. “The city of Taylor had nothing to do with that. They were 100% in support of what I wanted to do.”
Last year, after the march was canceled, a virtual celebration was broadcasted on all city platforms. The video will be updated and broadcast again this year.
“Lord’s will, we will be back in it in 2023,” Mitchell said. “I want to thank everybody who supported us with thoughts and ideas for having a program.”
