Naples honors MLK Day with parade and community celebration

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The nation pauses to honor and remember the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The civil rights icon, who was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, is celebrated for his legacy and the impact he had on the country.

In Naples Monday, the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade brought together many who feel a close connection to his legacy.

The event, hosted by the Collier County branch of the NAACP, featured over 35 organizations and more than 1,500 children from three different high schools.

Donald Sutton and Hyacinth Reynolds, attendees of the parade, expressed the significance of the day. “Even though things are going on in D.C., this is the place to be,” Reynolds said.

Sutton added, “What she said.”

Cassandra Stready, whose grandfather founded Cleveland Bass Movers, the oldest Black-owned business in Naples, also attended the event.

“We’re the first Black-owned business in Naples, and one of the first businesses in Naples,” Stready said.

Her grandfather established the business in 1969.

Stready emphasized the importance of Dr. King’s legacy. “We try to keep, make sure that we teach our children that it’s important to love everyone, to help everyone, and just to keep his dream alive, to keep it going, moving forward,” she said.

Vincent Keeys, president of the Collier County branch of the NAACP, told WINK News, “Well, the turnout has been great today, and first and foremost, we had a safe parade. And that is very, very important to us because we want people to come out healthy and go home healthy too.”

The event celebrated Dr. King’s legacy and the ongoing impact of his dream.

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