CHARLOTTE — The Queen City honored Civil Rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by bringing the greater Charlotte community together to march in Uptown on Saturday morning.
More than 100 community organizations and performance groups paraded down Tryon Street in the annual MLK Day Holiday Parade.
Ronald Wages, a participant with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., told Channel 9 that the group came out to honor a fellow brother.
“Martin Luther King was one of our phenomenal brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha,” Wages said. “We like to come out to make sure we celebrate, want to make sure we continue to move the social justice needle.”
An attendee said he wants to show his kids how important MLK is to the social fabric of the United States.
“My kids, I think it’s important for them to realize the life they’re living today,” Hatsu Ramadhn said. “There are people way before them and way before myself too that’s making some of this possible.”
This year, the route faced a last-minute adjustment after a panel on the Wells Fargo building became loose, posing a risk for those walking below.
The section around the building on 550 South Tryon Street was closed after people below noticed the loose panel on Friday.
Parade organizers then announced the route adjusted to avoid that portion of Tryon Street, now ending at 3rd Street instead of Brooklyn Village Avenue. They did not name the reason, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
Parade participants meet at 9 a.m., and the parade will wrap at noon. See the parade route here.
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