FORT WALTON BEACH —Elaine Anderson can still remember hearing the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. on her television. She still recalls how she felt in 1969 when she was integrated into an all-white school.
She still remembers the reason she celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day each year.
“It was tough growing up in that time,” Anderson said with one of King’s speeches playing in the background as she made her way to the annual parade in his honor. “It’s amazing how far we’ve come. That’s why it’s such an honor to be a part of this. It’s important for us to move forward, but we still should remember what he and others did.”
The streets were filled early Monday morning as crowds marched through Fort Walton Beach from the municipal building to Fort Walton Beach High School. Along the way, marchers waved, threw candy and even hugged those standing on the sidelines.
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Shantone Davenport drove from Navarre to bring her three young children to the parade.
“It’s important that I teach them about Martin Luther King and the history of what he did for us as a people,” Davenport said as she pushed her youngest, 1-year-old Joey, in a stroller, and watched her daughters eyeing the colorful parade as it made its way down Miracle Strip Parkway.
Davenport’s middle daughter, 5-year-old Mariah, said parades are fun but added there was something special about Monday’s event.
“You get candy and beads and things and we get to know about the King,” Mariah said, smiling.
Tommye Walker, chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, said this year’s attendance is on par with previous years, despite conflicting with the presidential inauguration.
Walker said the parade is to celebrate the legacy of a great man and to help younger generations understand the importance of King’s dedication to ending segregation.
“He was a man who did some outstanding things when it came to equal rights and opportunities,” Walker said. “As a young man growing up in Mississippi, we did see him on the TV all the other things he was doing.
“Back then I never could have imagined we would be celebrating him like this today, but there was hope of one day seeing this.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.
