Boys Basketball Team Participates in Diversity Parade

Springdale celebrates its first annual Diversity parade & Unity Celebration.

Heidi Phanvongkham, Reporter

Martin Luther King Jr. Day impacted not only the Springdale community, but  Fayetteville as well. Downtown Springdale recently hosted the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade & Unity Celebration on January 15th. Springdale celebrated his legacy by walking from Parsons Stadium (Rodeo of the Ozarks) to Emma Avenue and Luther George Park. After the parade, a free Unity BBQ was hosted at the Jones Center. Some of the members that joined the parade were our Har-Ber basketball boys, Springdale high school’s band, Springdale basketball girls, and people from the Youth center and Jones center.

The parade consisted of speeches from different people, Hispanic and Marshallese dancers and many more. “I think they did a wonderful job to be honest it was cold and snowing and a lot of people could’ve stayed home” said senior Tyler Garrett. Besides the 34 degree temperature and the snowy weather, the event brought together even more people at the Unity BBQ at the Jones center.

Fayetteville’s diversity parade went from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to Razorback Road to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville’s celebration consisted of music, speeches, and hot chocolate. King’s memory lived on across Arkansas and the rest of the nation through different diversity parades. The Little Rock NAACP dedicated the day to Martin Luther King Jr., and  featured speakers such as Governor Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas pastors. The Arkansas state capitol also planned a parade  with a marching band and community groups who walked over two miles. The theme of the day was “We decided to be united”. Different speeches during the parade in Springdale and Fayetteville consisted of varying themes such as  racism, unity, equality, political division and progress for the minorities to be able to have a voice.

“He died for the right things,” said Garrett,  “it made me feel good and it made it feel like Springdale was one and everybody was coming together more”