Big crowds turned out on Monday for the 26th annual Krewe of Harambee Parade in downtown Shreveport to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on a sunny MLK Day. Organizers have described their event as a celebration of unity and diversity that honors African-American culture.
For some visitors this event was also a time to reflect on civil rights. That included Tamara White, who came to the parade with her 9-year-old grandson, Cameron. White, a longtime Shreveport resident, recalled recent conversations she and Cameron have had about the issues Dr. king fought for. “Yeah, a little bit. My grandson likes to talk about it at school, you know. And they’re talking about MLK and what, his thoughts and beliefs and kind of what’s what. But yeah, we’ve all gotta, you know, we’ve all gotta live here together. We’ve got to get along, you know. It’s not just this side, that side. It’s one body, basically, you know.”
Further up the parade route, Mike Penny of Shreveport was simply enjoying the experience of the Krewe of Harambee Parade as the marching bands,performers and floats rolled by his location. Penny would be the first to tell you he works too much to closely follow the news on a daily basis. And like many others these days, he tries to avoid politics. While not speaking directly about the hot-button issue of immigration enforcement, speaking in general terms Penny reflected, “I don’t think it’s necessarily fair or right for somebody to choose who can be where, especially if they’re not causing no [sic] harm or, you know, creating those issues.”
Then there’s Shreveport massage therapist Shane Williams, checking out this parade for the for the first time. “I think it’s pretty cool.” In fact, Williams contrasted the immigration crackdown, and resulting civil unrest in Minneapolis-St. Paul with the peaceful, pleasant atmosphere present in downtown Shreveport during this year’s parade on MLK Day.
Williams remembers all-too-well civil unrest in Shreveport’s past, most notably the infamous 2-day-long Cedar Grove riot in September of 1988. But in the ensuing 37 years, he says much has changed. When asked how Dr. King might react to the sights, sounds and sentiments from this year’s Harambee parade and unofficial Mardi Gras season kickoff Williams smiled, “I think he would be proud. I sure do. I think he’d be proud of this.”
