The Annual Durham MLK Black History Month Parade happens on February 6 from noon through 2 pm at W.G. Pearson Elementary School at 3501 Fayetteville Street in Durham, North Carolina. The parade will end at North Carolina Central University campus.
3501 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27707
3501 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27707
This annual Durham community event honoring black history will feature marching bands, step teams, dance groups, school and church groups, cars, trucks, businesses, civic organization and much more.
The Parade’s theme is “Give Us The Ballot!” which was the title of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s address delivered at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom, a non-violent demonstration in Washington, DC on May 17, 1957.
One of King’s major deliveries, his call for the ballot eventually led to the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The organizers gained experience and the march laid the foundation for further larger demonstrations in Washington for the Civil Rights Movement.
During Black History Month, the Annual NC MLK Black History Month Parade will afford us the opportunity to shine a light on the fact that voting rights for African-Americans is not only morally right but will lead to change for the better for all of America.
Do you know these important dates in black history?
- 1896: Supreme Court validates separate-but-equal principle in Plessy v. Ferguson
- 1909: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) formed
- 1942: Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) founded
- 1944: Clyde Cox and Allen Samuel become Durham’s first black police officers
- 1948: United States military desegregated
- 1949: Ebony magazine features Durham’s Parrish Street as “Negro Wall Street of America”
- 1953: Rencher N. Harris becomes first black elected to Durham City Council
- 1954: Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision overturns separate-but-equal principle
- 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott brings Martin Luther King, Jr., to prominence
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made five public appearances in Durham during 1956 through 1964
- 1956: Martin Luther King, Jr., attended Durham Business and Professional Chain Trade Week and spoke at Hillside High School
- 1957: Durham Bulls have first black players; demonstrators attempted to integrate Durham Athletic Park seating on opening night
- 1960: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ralph Abernathy visit, speak at White Rock Baptist Church
- 1963: March on Washington draws 200,000; Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech
- 1963: Mayor Wense Grabarek meets protest rally, forms Durham Interim Committee on race relations; integration begins in hotels, restaurants, libraries, public schools
- 1964: Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination in public accommodations and by employers
- 1965: Voting Rights Act abolishes literacy tests and other practices to obstruct minority voting
- 1967: Asa Spaulding becomes first black on Durham Board of County Commissioners
- 1968: Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., assassinated in Memphis, TN April 4
- 1968: Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination in the sale or rental of housing
- 1970: Federal court orders immediate racial balancing in Durham city schools
- 1989: Chester Jenkins becomes first black mayor of Durham
Black Enterprise magazine named Morehead Manor the #1 black-owned bed and breakfast in America. We (Daniel and Monica) are honored to host people from all over the world of all different nationalities and cultures.
We welcome you to stay with us during the Annual Durham MLK Black History Month Parade. Morehead Manor Bed and Breakfast is open to guests all year round. We would love to have you visit anytime!