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FOURTEENTH ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL PARADE

On Sunday, May 17, 1981, at 1:00 P.M., the 369th Veterans' Association will sponsor the 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. This parade will bring together black and white organizations from New York and neighboring cities in a spirit of brotherhood and Americanism. Originated in 1959 as the Annual 369th Veterans' Association Memorial Parade, this event was designed originally to honor the men and women who lost their lives in the service of our country.

Recognizing the tragedy the world suffered by the untimely death of Dr. King on April 4, 1968, the 369th changed the name of its parade to honor this great American. It is the feeling of the 369th that Dr. King gave his life for his country in the same manner as those valiant American men and women who have made the supreme sacrifice in the cause of freedom and justice since our nation was founded. The parade will be organized and coordinated by Robert P. Bourke, Jr., the Chairman of the Parade Committee of the 369th Veterans' Association.

David N. Dinkins, City Clerk for the City of New York, will be the Grand Marshal. Deputy Grand Marshals will be Gordon J. Davis, N.Y.C. Commissioner of Parks and Recreation and Lillian Roberts, Associate Director, District Council 37, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

At 1:00 P.M., prior to the arrival of the first unit of the parade, a memorial service will be held at the Reviewing Stand, 69th Street and 5th Avenue. During this service special messages of tribute to Dr. King will be delivered by Governor Hugh L. Carey and Mayor Edward I. Koch. Messages from Vice President George Bush and Mrs. Coretta Scott King will be presented. One of the features of the memorial service will be a rendition of Dr. King's "Vision From The Mountain Top" by Ronald W. Bagley, a 15-year old from Mount Vernon, N.Y. At the conclusion of the service a memorial wreath will be placed at the Reviewing Stand by Mrs. Clara Charlton, mother of the late Sergeant Cornelius Charlton, hero of the Korean Conflict. 

Beginning at 44th Street, the parade will proceed north on 5th Avenue to 86th Street; east on 86th Street to 3rd Avenue, where it will be dismissed. The parade will be reviewed by a delegation from the Archdiocese of New York from the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral. A delegation from St. Thomas Episcopal Church will review the parade from in front of the church at 53rd Street and 5th Avenue.

The parade will be led by the 369th Transportation Battalion (the old 369th Regiment) and will be made up of Veterans Groups; Civil Service Organizations; Masons; Elks; Knights of Columbus and other Fraternal Organizations; Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts and other Youth Groups. The Consolidated Edison Company of New York will enter a float saluting Dr. King. Another float will be furnished by the McDonald Corporation. A group not usually found in parades of this nature will be a contingent from a Camp Radalbek For The Mentally Retarded.

The 369th Veterans' Association sponsored its first parade in Harlem in May, 1959. On May 24, 1964 the parade was moved to 5th Avenue, the traditional parade route in New York City. Since that date the parade has grown in dimension, prestige and significance until it is regarded as one of the most outstanding parades held on 5th Avenue each year.

It is the hope of the 369th that this representative assemblage of predominantly black organizations, presented in a dignified fashion will serve as an inspiration to all black children. Also, it is the aim of the 369th, through this parade, to provide a source of pride for all black people and to focus attention on black unity as well as on the accomplishments of blacks and their contributions to the growth of America. Further, an occasion which presents white and black organizations, marching together in harmony for a common cause, is in keeping with the tradition of integration and understanding that Dr. King was striving to attain at the time of his death.

[[5 images - scenes of the parade]]

PARADE THEME: "BROTHERHOOD AND AMERICANISM"

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