Albany’s first MLK parade set for Saturday, other events throughout weekend

ALBANY — Organizers of a weekend parade and banquet celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. say they hope the events will bring the community together and also attract tourists from outside Dougherty County.

The Albany Minister’s Conference Inc. will hold Albany’s first MLK JR. Parade on Saturday, with a lineup of speakers set to give remarks at 9 a.m. prior to the start of the passing of floats and cars.

The 2023 banquet, one of a number of events scheduled over the holiday weekend, starts at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Albany Civic Center. Officials with the minister’s group say they hope to improve on the attendance of 750 that was at the inaugural event.

The theme for this year’s banquet is “After 2022, the Journey Continues.” The speaker will be U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who has continued to serve as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King also served as pastor.

“This year we’re hoping we have more,” the Rev. Rance Pettibone, president of the ministers conference, said. “We’re the Good Life City, but we are one Albany. We are hoping to bring all the people together. That would honor Martin Luther King, because he fought for all people.”

King was arrested in Albany twice during the time of the Albany Movement in 1961 and 1962, and he took some of the lessons learned during that time beyond Dougherty County.

“This is where he put his strategy together, here in Albany,” Pettibone said. “Albany was a tough nut to crack, and in fact, he didn’t crack it.

“It was his second stop. He stopped in Albany, then he went to Montgomery. A lot of people said it wasn’t as successful as he wanted it to be, but it was successful for Albany. People eventually straightened up and did what they needed to do.”

In addition to the relatively new banquet and first upcoming parade, the conference has been hosting an Emancipation Proclamation essay contest for Dougherty County high school students for at least 20 years, the minister said, noting other programs also are held during February.

“We strive to teach the kids about the time when all of us were made free,” he said. “We continue with teaching why Martin Luther King fought, how he fought, when he fought and how he did this for all of us, not just black people.”

Pettibone said there also is a bit of a “selfish” motive for the celebration.

“We’re trying to get people to stay the entire weekend,” he said. “We are the hub in the area. We’re trying to get people from all over the area, to get people to stay the entire weekend. We try to bring economic development to Albany.”

Funds raised from banquet ticket sales will go toward scholarships, the Albany Civil Rights Institute and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, he said.

Other Albany events lined up for the holiday weekend include United Way of Southwest Georgia’s third annual Run the Race campaign.

Participants will take part in an accessibility friendly scavenger hunt throughout downtown Albany featuring visits to agency partners and complete creative challenges designed to increase awareness of United Way services.

The event starts at 9:15 a.m. Monday with check-in and a complimentary breakfast. The scavenger hunt is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon. Participants who register by Jan. 15 will be eligible for a free T-shirt.

To register, visit https://www.runtheraceswga.com/.

The 43rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program Prayer Breakfast will be held at 7:30 a.m. Monday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 901 S. Westover Blvd., to honor the legacy of the slain civil rights leader.

E. Dewey Smith Jr., senior pastor/teacher at House of Hope in Atlanta, will deliver the keynote address at the free breakfast hosted by the H.E.A.R.T. Organization of Albany.

An annual march from Shiloh Baptist Church at 325 Whitney Ave. to downtown Albany will kick off with a program inside the church at 11. The march starts at noon.

File Photo: Carlton Fletcher