This Monday, for the first time since 2020, people of all ages and backgrounds will join together in person once again to march and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Starting at 8:45 a.m., community members will gather at the new Dickey-Givens Community Center, 260 S. Dolan St., for the 18th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration and March, which will begin promptly at 9 a.m., followed by a program at 10 a.m. at the amphitheater of Heritage Square Park.
Organizer Shorty Mitchell said this is a wonderful opportunity to see the diverse groups of the city come together in unity.
“(People should come) just to see the old people come together with the young people of all races, and the diversity, as the city’s background is,” he said. “For the past two years, COVID set us back, but we still did it virtually.”
Mitchell said the march will feature music from the Taylor High School marching band and color guard, as well as fire and police escorts, followed by a program with the march’s founder, the Rev. Dr. Anthony L. Watson Sr., as well as elected officials and other dignitaries.
Mitchell, who has served on the organizing committee for 16 years and is also on the Taylor Independent School District board, said King is a big inspiration for him to stay involved in the community.
“He was for all races, and he wanted to see everybody get an opportunity in life, to see everybody doing the same even playing field,” Mitchell said. “He was a servant. That’s what makes me do all the boards…As long as I can be a help and make a difference to a few people here and there, I feel like it is worth it, and because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, that’s what makes me do what I do.”
In the event of bad weather, the program will take place at City Hall, 400 Porter St.
