IN BOTH TEXAS CITY AND LA MARQUE, Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday was an expression of love and remembrance of the civil rights leader and the legacy that has carried with him almost 52 years after his tragic death.
The day began with the 7th annual MLK Day Parade and Celebration, which drew a large crowd that was bolstered by the sun and cool temps that hit the area over the weekend. The parade was perhaps the largest to date, as an influx of support from throughout Galveston and Harris Counties comprised the group of vehicles that began at La Marque High School and ended at McKinney Methodist Church.
From there, students from La Marque High School reenacted King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, one that carried over to Texas City’s African-American Cultural Park on Monday afternoon, where the Booker T. Washington Exes presented its first annual re-enactment of the speech, which was performed by Rev. Walter Jones, Pastor of Galveston’s New Hope Baptist Church.
The event also re-enacted the musical performance of Mahaila Jackson at King’s speech in Washington, D.C., as Delores Penrice led the audience in a stirring rendition of ‘How I Got Over” before Jones – flanked by those portraying the platform guests with King – performed the words that have become a defining moment in not only the civil rights movement, but American history in general.
