2023 African American History Parade Celebration to highlight Black Resistance in America | African American History Parade

SHREVEPORT, La. – The African American Parade Celebration in Shreveport celebrates its 35th anniversary on Saturday, February 4th. Over the past 21 years, 13 states have participated in the celebration. The parade route begins east on Milam Street to Market, then north on Market Street to Texas Avenue, and then west on Texas Avenue to Common Street, where it ends.

This spectacular event is guaranteed to draw thousands to downtown Shreveport.

The parade takes place on Saturday at 11:00 am. Click here for your full KTBS MEGA 3 Storm Team Prediction.

This year’s theme is Black Resistance this is also the theme for the national celebration. It aims to highlight how black Americans have fought against racial inequality. The parade will mark the achievements and accomplishments of African Americans at home and around the world. Shreveport has a rich history of fighting for civil rights and many of those pioneers will be honored this year.

There are two Grand Marshals this year. John T Johnson and Randal Gaines.

Gaines is an attorney and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from LaPlace and vice chairman of the National Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

We’ll be showing the celebrations live starting Saturday at 11:00 am on KPXJ CW 21, KTBS.com and your KTBS 3 Now connected devices. Be sure to send your parade photos to [email protected] and use #ktbs3 and #blackhistory on social media.

About the African American parade celebration

The African American Parade Celebration begins in February each year for Black History Month. This celebration has been recognized by officials of the Mayor, Governor, Attorney General and Senate of the United States for the past 30 years with a proclamation and resolution presented on the day of the celebration. We celebrate UNITY and STRENGTH while making an ECONOMIC impact that benefits the entire community of Shreveport, Louisiana.

In 1988, the African American Parade Celebration held its first parade with only 50 participants and over 500 participants in the parade. Over the past 30 years, the celebration has grown to over 150,000 visitors and over 8,000 participants. The event continues to grow each year, drawing thousands of spectators and visitors to the Shreveport/Bossier area. When it comes to parade celebrations, the African American Parade has definitely shown ingenuity and creativity, sharing the spirit and excitement with thousands of people across ARK-LA-TX and many other states.

The City of Shreveport has hosted the annual African American History Parade Celebration, which honors the community during Black History Month each February and includes local religious, youth and civic groups to entertain and delight onlookers. Each year the parade features a new theme, such as “African Americans in Times of War,” with a special emphasis on military groups and honoring local veterans. Candy and Mardi Gras beads are tossed along the parade route in a procession full of high-stepping bands, cheerleaders and dance groups, churches, community and gospel groups, drill teams, youth divisions, ROTC units, sororities and fraternities, civic and social clubs, riders, motorcyclists and many more.

Barbara Norton and the late Claude Underwood founded this event in 1988. After a few years the committee grew to twenty members and today the committee has over seventy-five members representing a variety of businesses and organizations throughout ARK-LA-Tex. Also included in the team is a youth committee led by Skylar Norton.