FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Children from the Montessori Academy contributed to the sights and sounds of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade that took over Sistrunk Boulevard on Monday in Fort Lauderdale.
From Northwest Fifth to 15 avenues, the parade allowed people of all ages races, and ethnicities to come together to push the message of service, unity, and equality forward.
Black sororities and fraternities, which played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, also had a presence.
“We want to bring a message shining through our pink and green colors today,” said Kay Lockhart, of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. “For us to be here in the city of Fort Lauderdale to have our people come out, people of color, black, white, blue, purple, doesn’t matter. We are here giving the message that Dr. King left for us.”
King became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha‘s Sigma Chapter on June 22, 1952, while he was a student at Boston University. The fraternity also had a presence in the parade with their signature black and gold.
The city was also hosting a festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Carter Park, at 1450 W. Sunrise Blvd., in Fort Lauderdale.