2023 MLK Day Parade
Joe Daniels / January 19, 2023The NAACP Greensboro branch held its annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Parade on Monday (Jan. 16).
This was the first time the parade was held since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. The parade began at the Benbow Professional Center on MLK Jr. Drive. The honorary marshals were Dr. George Kilpatrick, a Greensboro physician and Bennett College President Suzanne Walsh. The grand marshals were Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court Lisa Johnson-Tonkins and Greensboro City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday was established in 1983 and coincides with the civil rights leader’s birthday, which is Jan. 15, 1929.
Had he lived, Dr. King would be 94-years-old.

The Golden Eagles of Smith High School Marching Band. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
The Golden Eagles of Smith High School Marching Band. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

Khalif Court # 90, Dr. Sharlencela O’Neil. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
Khalif Court # 90, Dr. Sharlencela O’Neil. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

Little Miss AKA - Zoie Gabrielle Barksdale. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
Little Miss AKA - Zoie Gabrielle Barksdale. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

OES District 27 Queen, Tammy Martin. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
OES District 27 Queen, Tammy Martin. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

Bettye Jenkins, Guilford County School Board Member. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
Bettye Jenkins, Guilford County School Board Member. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

The Black Pearls Society with a furry side-kick in the back seat. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
The Black Pearls Society with a furry side-kick in the back seat. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.

Residents and supporters of the Ole Asheboro Neighborhood walk in the parade along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, a main road in the neighborhood. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.
Residents and supporters of the Ole Asheboro Neighborhood walk in the parade along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, a main road in the neighborhood. Photo by Joe Daniels/Carolina Peacemaker.