BRIDGE Invites Associates to Join Dallas Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Saturday
Exchange special emphasis program BRIDGE (Building Resources in Diversity Growth of Employees) is inviting all Dallas-Fort Worth associates, as well as any associates willing to make the trip from the Waco Distribution Center or Exchanges in the region, to participate in the Dallas Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade. Retirees and family members are also welcome to join.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Fair Park in Dallas. Parade activities commence at 9 a.m. in front of the King Community Center. Before participants line up for the parade, there will be a compilation of entertainment. The parade kicks off a weekend that will culminate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 20. This will be the first time that BRIDGE has participated in the parade.
This will be the first time that BRIDGE has participated in the parade.
“We invite anyone who can come to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy of service,” said Exchange Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Marla Randolph, BRIDGE’s co-executive champion. “If you’re not in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, we encourage you to attend or participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities in your area.”
Since 1984, a few months after President Reagan designated it a federal holiday in 1983, the third Monday in January has been Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The day falls close to King’s actual birthday of Jan. 15.
It is a holiday for many Exchange associates, but BRIDGE, Exchange EEODI and the Department of Defense encourage associates to consider it a “day on, not a day off.”
“This is a day to remember, celebrate and act,” said Vice President of Services, Health and Wellness Denise Hunter, BRIDGE’s other executive champion. “Among the things you can do are read about Dr. King or even watch some of his speeches on YouTube. You can also act to ensure a more equal future for everyone.”
This year marks milestone anniversaries in King’s life and in the civil-rights movement: The 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches, which King and the Southern Christian Leader Conference launched in March 1965; and the 70th anniversary of the start of the Montgomery bus boycott, which King organized in December 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested when she refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery.
If you would like to join BRIDGE in the Dallas Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, RSVP here. Respondents will receive additional information on the parade agenda and parade day activities.
The parade route is a little more than one mile, so participants should wear comfortable walking shoes. Participates will march along an Exchange tractor-trailer.
If you would rather watch than walk, you can gather along the parade route with family and friends to cheer on Exchange associates. BRIDGE asks that you wear Exchange attire or patriotic clothing, with red as the primary color.
For more parade information, click on this link https://help-dallas.org/mlk-parade/ If you have questions, contact BRIDGE Program Managers Judy Hathaway at hathawayj@aafes.com or Angela Little Bledsoe at littlebledsoea@aafes.com.
Have photos from Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities or commemorations? Please send them to exchangepost@aafes.com and socialmedia@aafes.com. We’ll add them to a special Flickr album. If possible, please send photos as jpeg attachments, large or actual size.
