HOUSTON — Houston and Martin Luther King Jr. have a long history. The civil rights icon visited Rev. William Lawson's church during a visit to Houston back in 1963. And in 1978, just 10 years after Dr. King's assassination, and five years before President Ronald Reagan officially made MLK Day a national holiday, it was Houston who held the very first MLK parade in the country.
It was the brainchild of Ovide Duncantell, the founder of Houston's Black Heritage Society. Houston celebrated with one MLK Day parade ever year for the next 17 years until 1995 when Charles Stamps, a former Black Heritage Society volunteer started his own event, the MLK Grande Parade. Stamps believed the original parade needed more cultural diversity.
So for more than two decades, Houston has had competing rival parades on MLK Day at the same time, just blocks away from each other. The city refused to take sides until this year.
Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city now officially support and endorse the original MLK Day parade. This year Congressman John Lewis and Astros MVP George Springer will be grand marshals.
Despite the city's call for unity behind one parade, two different MLK parades will march in Houston again. And Turner's two biggest political challengers, Tony Buzbee and Bill King will be grand marshals of the rival MLK Grande Parade.
Coincidence? Perhaps. But it's clear in Houston divisions remain on a day meant to celebrate a civil rights giant.
For more information on the city's endorsed Original MLK Day Parade, click here: http://www.blackheritagesociety.org/2019-parade
For more information on the MLK Grande Parade click here: https://www.mlkgrandeparade.org/grande-parade/