New Braunfels 10th Annual March Honoring the Work and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. starts 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20 at Prince Solms Park, 100 Liebscher Dr., and ends at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Ave.
Marchers will stop at Main Plaza for an official welcome and prayer.
This year’s theme is “Be the peace you wish to see in the world.”
Parade organizer New Braunfels MLK Association said a civil tribute and musical selections are planned at the civic convention center after the parade.
The winners of a $2,000 Gloria D. Ford non-traditional scholarship for young adults and the Henry E. Ford Achievement Award also will be announced.
The public is asked to bring shelf-stable food items for the MLK Food Drive. The association has partnered with Food 4 Kids’ student chapter for a third year. Donations can be dropped off at tables set up at the park and the convention center.
About the MLK Parade
Henry Ford, the 73-year-old founder of the New Braunfels MLK Association, died on Jan. 2, 2022.
He organized the group after returning from an out-of-town trip and reading about a Canyon High School student who was counted absent for attending a Martin Luther King Day march in San Antonio because there wasn’t one in New Braunfels.
“That kind of upset me that they wouldn’t give him recognition for that day,” he told MyCanyonLake.com in an interview in June 2020.
“‘If you don’t like it, why don’t you do something about it,’” he recalls Gloria Ford asking. “So I said, ‘ok, I will.’”
That student, Jon Michael Franklin, was later honored by then-President Barack Obama, who wrote: “Each of us has a role to play in creating a better world for future generations. I trust you take pride in your contributions, and I hope your service moves others to serve as well.”
