The HBCU’s Greatest Contribution to “Keeping the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Alive” took place some 31 years ago when Civil Rights Activist, Sevell C. Brown, III reached out to Dr. Cleophus Johnson to Chair the National MLK Parade Advisory Team of HBCU Directors’ of Bands to assist him in designing and implementing a GOD given VISION of the National Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. Dr. Johnson and the others appreciated the fact that Brown refused to take a salary and only used nonpaid volunteers to operate the parade for fear of the idea of “carpetbaggers” prostituting Dr. King’s memory.

 

 

Specifically, because of this fact, these HBCU Master Directors’ of Bands, told Brown that they have been looking for a way to give back to Dr. King, their Mentor, and Brown had finally provided them the best venue and platform to do so in the Nat. MLK Parade. This small group of HBCU Band Directors all agreed to not charge an honorarium to Brown! In their words, “Brown, just raise the money to get us there and we’ll be there for Dr. King!!!” On January 20, 1986, the first ever traditional parade in American History, with bands, floats and fanfare, in the tradition of the Rose Bowl and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade stepped out on faith on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

Remarkably and most fitting, this also was the first official observance of the Federal King Holiday as signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Prior to 1986, America commemorated Dr. King in Civil Rights Memorial Marches in the tradition of Selma to Montgomery, the Birmingham Movement & the 1963 Historic March On Washington. Thanks to the likes of a few HBCU Master Director of Bands, the concept of the traditional parade that began in St. Petersburg,FL has been cloned throughout America, essentially replacing the memorial marches. Thanks to Dr. Cleophus Johnson, Dr. William P. Foster, Dr. Julian White, Prof. Harold Bray, Prof. Donovan Wells, Prof. Jimmy Williams, Dr. Johnny Hodge, Dr. Benjamin Butler, Dr. Joe L. Miller, Dr. Dowell Taylor, Prof. Paul Adams, “Pop” Wilson of Jones H.S., Dr. Shelby Chipman of Miami Central H.S., Dr. Jermaine Fleming of Miami Jackson H.S., Ollice Davis of Pahokee H.S., Elmer Davis of Booker T. Washington H.S.,Tulsa, OK, Prof. Jeffrey Herbert of Southern Univ. Lab. School and Earl Williams’ Marching Wolverines Community Band of Winter Haven, FL for taking this Historic Walk of Faith with the GULF OF ST. PETE MLK EXPO’s National MLK Parade, Battle of Bands and Drum Line Extravaganza before it was acceptable to do so. Because of them, many more Univ. & H.S. Bands have since joined this MOVEMENT TO KEEP DR. KING’s DREAM ALIVE IN MUSIC; like Dr. O’Neill Sanford, Prof. Paul Adams, Dr. Kenneth Ruff & the HBCU’s National Band Directors Consortium All Star Band, Dr. Eddie Ellis of S. Carolina State Univ. Marching 101 Bull Dogs, Orangeburg, SC, Prof. Blake Gaines of “Dr. Wendell Whalum’s Morehouse College Maroon Tiger Marching Band”, then the Barron Collier H.S. Marching Cougars Band of Naples, FL under Benny Bolden 2009-present/Marc Branson 1994-2005/Kelley Parker 2005-2009 & Associate Bd. Dir. Ollie Phipps for 16 years, Prof. Joseph Hampton of the St. Augustine Purple Knights & Emile Francis of St. Mary’s Academy, New Orleans, LA, Cong. Cleo Fields and the Louisiana Leadership Institute All Star Band, Baton Rouge, LA, Travis Kimber of MLK Jr. H.S., Lithonia, GA, Hugh Moffitt of Carver H.S., Columbus, GA, Joe & David Bell of Roosevelt M. Magnet School, West Palm Beach, FL, Richard Beckford of Blanche Ely H.S., Pompano Beach, FL, Timothy Nance of JFK M.S., Riviera Beach, FL, Brannon Bynum of Dudley H.S., Greensboro, N.C., Linard McCloud of Burke H.S., Orangeburg, S.C., Howard Carroll of N. Clayton H.S., Riverdale, GA, LeFlore-Vigor-Williamson H.S.’s of Mobile, AL, Lucy Laney-Glenn Hill-T. W. Josey H.S.’s, Pam Perry Belle Terrace Dancers & CSRA AllStar Band of Augusta, GA, Rondall Russell of Middleton H.S. & Robert Griffin & Charles Sanz of Blake H.S. in Tampa, FL, Robert “Bobbie” Anders, Battle of Bands Field Show Coordinator& Robert Harris of Lakewood H.S. of St. Pete, FL. Twenty-seven years later, approximately 2.3 million people from across this nation have attended the National MLK Parade and approximately 240,000 people have attended the National MLK Battle of Bands.

 

Twenty eight years later, Brown has still refused any salary or compensation to produce the National MLK Parade, Battle of Bands & Drum Line Extravaganza. On 1/5/90 ACLU files Suit on Brown’s behalf successfully preventing politicians of both political parties from taking control of the parade to use it as their annual political platform for getting votes. Noteworthy, much thanks is due to the Pinellas County School System which, also, made American History, marking the first time that 12 predominately White High School Bands marched in the National MLK Parade. This is the first time that a White Superintendent of Schools in America committed his entire administration to embrace the first official observance of the Federal King Holiday by directing all bands and band directors to salute and pay tribute to Dr. King on Monday, January 20, 1986. The Superintendent was Dr. Scott Rose. His designee to the National MLK Parade ADVISORY TEAM was Lewis Williams, who was given the mandate to make it happen in less than 2 months. Lew is a native of Carver Court in Orlando, FL & a graduate of Jones H.S., Allen Univ.(B.A) & S. Carolina State. (M.Ed)