Organizers of the Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Ward 8 are expected to meet later this month to decide whether the annual event will continue to be held in April after getting a very soggy reception Saturday, according to a spokeswoman for D.C. Council Member Marion Barry.
The parade was moved from January to April so the temperatures would be a little warmer; last year’s parade was canceled because of inclement weather. But the 44-degree temperature at Saturday’s 2 p.m. parade start was just one degree higher than it was on Jan. 16, according to the National Weather Service.
Barry spokeswoman E. Faye Williams said that although a lot of spectators peeked out of their windows and stayed on their porches to watch the procession, organizers were “enthusiastic.” Williams said she expects to meet with Barry today to discuss what they will recommend to event organizers.
If anything, the more than 4-mile parade route — which ran from Ballou Senior High School to Orr Elementary School — should be shortened, Williams said.
The parade was first held in 1979 to convince Congress to designate King’s birthday as national holiday. Organizers first recommended moving the date to April 1 — April Fool’s Day — which drew immediate opposition. Barry blamed the decision on miscommunication and the date was shifted to April 8 — five days after the anniversary of King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in 1963 and four days after the anniversary of his assassination.
