Tulsa Holds Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade

By Tara Vreeland and NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Several Tulsa streets were closed Monday as Tulsans gathered to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"It's a nice, beautiful day for Martin Luther King Day Parade but any day, even if it was raining, we would be out here in celebration of him and what he stood for," said Marion Burch, a parade attendee.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is a holiday to celebrate a man who stood for peace and equality.

"It means freedom. It means the end of segregation. And that all races can get along," said George Flowers, a parade attendee.

Dr. King was a prominent civil rights leader and activist. He was assassinated in 1968.

To honor the late Dr. King, a parade wound through Tulsa, down the Greenwood district, past the OSU-Tulsa campus to Archer Street.

"I know that he stopped the racism and slavery and we got freedom," said Destiny Wright, a parade attendee.

A number of civic groups and area high schools participated in Monday's parade. News On 6 anchor Latoya Silmon and OKBlitz.com's John Holcomb also participated.

Those at the parade said it was a perfect day for the peaceful parade.

"It means awakening. Awakening. We have a black president. We all come together in harmony holding hands and singing. It's a joyful day," said Patricia Hawkins-Wise, Martin Luther King Jr. parade.

"Everybody's set aside their differences for this occasion and I believe that Martin Luther King would be happy to see all these people gathered," said Charles Williams, a parade attendee.

While the majority of the parade was peaceful, Tulsa police say there was a series of fights that broke out at the end of the parade. Police say they are investigating the cause and who was involved.

The parade followed a Sunday night march to Boston Avenue United Methodist Church where hundreds gathered for an interfaith prayer service.

Monday is also a federal holiday, so all federal offices, including the post office, are closed Monday.

City of Tulsa offices, as well as city offices in many other Oklahoma communities, are closed, along with most banks.

Mohawk and Page Belcher golf courses, as well as the Tulsa Zoo, are open on Monday.