The Martin Luther King Junior Parade Committee and the City of Lakeland have made decision to cancel the upcoming 2021 MLK Junior Parade due to the unknowns and obstacles created by the coronavirus pandemic.
John Williams, Recreational Supervisor and a member of the parade organizing committee said, “The organizing committee has obvious concerns regarding the pandemic and the unknowns of what impacts the virus may have going forward. This year’s celebration in honor of Dr. King will be a video tribute celebrating his dream, vision and idea of uniting all communities. We plan to have the video also include highlights from past parades and acknowledge the parade’s history in Lakeland.” A special viewing of the video will take place at the Coleman-Bush Building (1104 Martin L King Junior Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33805) on Saturday, January 16th from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
Williams added, “The parade organizing committee came up with the idea of a video tribute as a way to continue honoring Dr. King’s legacy during this pandemic. We want to keep the citizens of Lakeland safe and the video tribute will allow the community to still be involved during this unprecedented time.” Past parade participants are strongly encouraged to participate and be part of the video tribute. Those interested in participating are invited to call 863-834-2577 for more information.
The City of Lakeland encourages the public to follow the CDC recommendations for social distancing and hygiene. The City of Lakeland has developed a dedicated webpage with a number of resources to help the community stay informed. You can find this site by visiting www.lakelandgov.net/covid19.