Houston Mayor Sylvester Tuner and Grand Marshall George Foreman at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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A band plays at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A band plays at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Grand Marshall George Foreman waves at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Grand Marshall George Foreman waves at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Sheila Jackson Lee at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Sheila Jackson Lee at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Jolanda Jones greets a Houstonian.
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Jolanda Jones greets a Houstonian.
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Houston Mayor Sylvester Tuner and Grand Marshall George Foreman at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Families honored Martin Luther King, Jr. at the parade.
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Families honored Martin Luther King, Jr. at the parade.
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Children smile as they watch the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Texas Southern University junior Christopher Jones waits for the parade to begin.
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Texas Southern University junior Christopher Jones waits for the parade to begin.
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Children smile as they watch the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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University of Houston students Brittney Marshall and Jamonica Miller.
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University of Houston students Brittney Marshall and Jamonica Miller.
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A man watches the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Gary Miller (back row, far left), head band director at Royal High School, poses with the Royal Marching Sound Machine.
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Gary Miller (back row, far left), head band director at Royal High School, poses with the Royal Marching Sound Machine.
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Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity march in the parade.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Band members celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 42nd annual parade.
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A man watches the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A man holds a sign at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Band members celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 42nd annual parade.
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Members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity march in the parade.
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A man holds a sign at the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Children play with balloons at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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People pose at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Children play with balloons at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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The Texas Southern University Tigers.
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A man plays the trombone at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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People pose at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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The University of Houston Cougars march in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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The UH Cougar Dolls march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A man poses at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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The University of Houston Cougars march in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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The Texas Southern University Tigers.
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The University of Houston Marching Band performs.
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Band members celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 42nd annual parade.
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A band marches in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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People march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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People march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A man marches the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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A man plays the trombone at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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People march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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People march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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The University of Houston Cougars march in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Band members celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 42nd annual parade.
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The University of Houston Cougars march in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Grand Marshall George Foreman waves at Houstonians.
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The UH Cougar Dolls march in the 42nd annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Grand Marshall George Foreman waves at Houstonians.
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Mayor Sylvester Turner on a parade float.
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The University of Houston Marching Band performs.
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A man marches the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade.
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Mayor Sylvester Turner on a parade float.
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A man poses at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
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Approximately 20,000 Houstonians celebrated the 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade in downtown Houston.
More than 20,000 thousand Houstonians attended yesterday’s 42nd annual Martin Luther King Parade, downtown in order to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. The event, hosted by the Black Heritage Society, featured Mayor Sylvester Turner and Grand Marshall George Foreman, along with an array of dance teams, social groups, first responders, and military. The sense of pride and joy was palpable. We asked parade participants to share why the parade was important to them. Gary Miller, 41, head band director of Royal Marching Sound Machine at Royal High School in Brookshire, Texas, stated, “I feel like this parade is very significant. We are sharing unity, love, and peace. It is important because it is for the city.” Jamonica Miller, a sophomore at the University of Houston and dancer with the Cougar Dolls Dance Team, echoed that. “Being a part of this parade is important because of the community feel and the chance to give back. It’s a great experience, and it feels good to be around people who share the same love for Houston.” Texas Southern University junior Christopher Jones, a second-year head drum-major of Ocean of Soul Marching Band, said he appreciated that “it is black culture, and that is one thing that needs to be prominent, and not even just African American history but world history.” He’s right: Martin Luther King continues to inspire not just Houstonians but the world. — Samantha Dorisca
