'It'll be great': Baltimore Mayor says parade is important way to celebrate Dr. King's legacy

BALTIMORE –  Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told WJZ Thursday to expect much of the same sights and sounds for this year's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade as years past, including marching bands.

"We're going to do it. We're doing a parade," Mayor Scott said. "We'll do it ourselves. We know it'll be great. We know we'll have folks out there to join us. Just as many people who come out and cheer and take pictures with folks in the parade, we want them putting their hands in dirt, cleaning up trash, serving food."

Scott said he wants Baltimore City residents to participate in service projects Monday in honor of Dr. King, but he says it is important to honor and celebrate Dr. King's legacy.

The parade, produced in the past by Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, was canceled in 2021 and 2022. 

BOPA announced last week the parade was canceled again, in a decision that drew outrage from community leaders and city council members.

The Mayor's Office and BOPA pointed fingers at each other for the parade cancelation.

Mayor Scott threatened to withhold funding and not renew BOPA's contract with the city and asked for BOPA's CEO Donna Drew Sawyer to resign, which she ultimately did Tuesday.

"It's definitely a serious re-evaluation (in the city's relationship with BOPA)," Scott said. "It's time to move forward with new leadership that we hope can connect with the arts and culture community."

The mayor points to the recent hiring of BOPA's marketing chief Tonya Miller Hall to oversee the city's cultural events.

The theme of this year's MLK Day Parade is anti-violence.

"They should expect a heavy dose of 'We are us' messaging," Mayor Scott said.