Tulsa's 43rd Annual MLK Day Parade Returns After Going Virtual Last Year

Tulsans lined the downtown streets Monday for the 43rd Annual MLK Parade to pay tribute to the dream and legacy of Dr. King.

Organizers say it’s one of the largest MLK Parades in the country.

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Each float represents what MLK Day embodies from influential people setting examples to inspirational words to live out Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream.

Around 160 floats with music and marching groups paraded through downtown Tulsa. After last year's virtual parade, people were excited to be back in person.

This year's theme is “Hope and Action: The Fierce Urgency of Now.”

It's in honor of Dr. King and what he stood for.

The American Airlines float showed people who broke barriers in Tulsa from college graduates to law enforcement officers.

"That's just showing how far we've come. We got a lot more to do, we got a long way to go, but it's just showing how we can step out and get involved with anything from any aspect, not just because of our color or lack thereof,” said Corine Chillious with American Airlines.

She says she’s been a part of the parade for years.

Chillious says the world of words on the float represents virtues Dr. King fought for that are still relevant today like hope, kindness, and endurance.

She says her favorite part is people from all different departments getting together for the same reason.

"It's a wonderful thing. It brings people together and that's what it's about. That's what MLK is about. That's what Martin Luther King was about. And I think we're doing a good job representing,” Chillious said.