GREENSBORO, N.C. — In his famous words, "I have a dream," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a vision for equality -- a dream that continues to evolve and inspire on what would have been the civil rights icon's 95th birthday.
King has longstanding ties to the Piedmont Triad area, doing a lengthy interview with WFMY News 2 on Feb. 11, 1958. In that same visit, he also spoke at Bennett College, where Dr. George Simkins had invited him to assess the racial injustices happening in town and speak on possible solutions. He recognized Greensboro's importance in the national fight for justice, which is why the city is honoring Dr. King for his milestone birthday.
The Greensboro chapter of the NAACP is hosting the annual Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr. Day Parade Mon., Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. The parade will begin at the Benbow Professional Center on the 200 block of MLK Dr. It will route through downtown Greensboro, along part of the same path the Greensboro / A&T Four walked on Feb. 1, 1960, when they marched to the all-white Woolworth's lunch counter and sat down to stand up for equality.
Guilford Co. commission chair Skip Alston emphasized everyone is invited to the parade. The honored guests, he noted, are local trailblazers in the fight for civil rights -- parade honorary grand marshals Rev. and Mrs. Nelson Johnson (Beloved Community Center), alongside grand marshals John Swain (International Civil Rights Center and Museum) and Guilford Co. attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite.
"We're proud to have them be part of this parade," Alston said.
Alston noted Greensboro's significance in hosting the parade. King was set to deliver a speech in the Gate City on April 4, 1968, canceling his visit to stay longer in Memphis. He died that day in an assassination, which jolted the world into the harsh realities of racism King fought so hard to change.
"One can only imagine -- what if he had come here to Greensboro? How would history be written thus far?" Alston posed.
MLK Day is a national "day of service" -- a day on, not off, per its mantra. The Greensboro Volunteer Center and several colleges and schools have planned projects for this year to align with Dr. King's legacy of giving back.
"He said we need to learn to live together as brothers and sisters, so we can learn to grow together as one community," Alston said.